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Disruptive Technologies Critical to Agric Development – Inuwa, NITDA DG
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been described as critical role in the Agricultural sector that can guarantee cash flow and a major contributor to the nations’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Group photograph of the Director Generalof National Information Technology Development Agency(NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa during the visit by Co – Founder Corporate Farmers International(CFI), Mr Akinwale Alabi and his team to the Agency’s Headquarters in Abuja.
Kashifu Inuwa, Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), said this when he received the Co-Founder of Corporate Farmers International (CFI), Mr Akinwale Alabi, and his team to the Agency’s Corporate Headquarters in Abuja to seek possible areas of collaboration in smart agriculture.
Inuwa noted that disruptive innovation using emerging technologies will create new markets and easy access to new products and services.
“There is a need to build these pieces of equipment locally by challenging our startups and tech gurus to come up with solutions to such problems. “The Agency has a Fab-Lab to check the product initiated through a proof-of-concept test. It then proceeds to the fabrication of the product to create a prototype for testing and then later mass production,” the DG added.
Inuwa further asserted that there is a need to create a value chain, adding that “creating platform to bring the farmers, up takers, and financial institutions together to ease the purchase of goods and services without leaving your destination. Instead, all you need is to place a request on the platform, requesting the logistics company to pick up and deliver to the point of initiation.”
“NITDA launched National Adopted Village for Smart Agriculture (NAVSA) programme to boost the capacity of young Nigerian farmers in the digital world market. NAVSA seeks to digitally transform the agricultural economy of farmers and their business models across all value chains to increase productivity.
The NAVSA pilot program was launched at the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, (FUNAAB) Ogun State, with 100 (One Hundred) young farmers. And later at the Federal University of Duste (FUD), Jigawa State, respectively, to create jobs directly/ indirectly in the country.
Inuwa stressed that the NITDA Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) 2021 -2024 is a document crafted by the Agency that contains the vision of developing Nigeria into a sustainable digital economy that is prosperous and driven by technology.
SRAP has been tailored to proactively facilitate the country’s transformation into a sustainable Digital Economy but requires an elaborate stakeholder collaboration in implementing the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria.
He said, NITDA SRAP has seven (7) pillars namely: Developmental Regulation; Digital Literacy d Skills, Digital Transformation, Digital Innovation d Entrepreneurship, Cybersecurity, Emerging Technologies and Promotion Indigenous Content Development.
According to the DG, the pillars will foster dynamic regulatory instruments that will unlock opportunities across different sectors of the economy, enable the development of digital skills of Nigerians across different works of life, provide a robust digital platform to drive digitalization processes in the digital economy and enable innovation-driven small and medium enterprises to thrive. We expect that the outcome of this pillar will create opportunities for job creation
He cited that Cybersecurity will strengthen cyberspace and reduce vulnerabilities exploitable by threat actors to create a vibrant digital economy and protect the digital asset and allow citizens to have confidence in the digital economy.
He added that Emerging Technologies will facilitate the adoption and adaptation of emerging technologies in Nigeria and map the development of the digital economy with sustainable development goals in providing quality education, poverty eradication, good health and well-being, and reducing inequalities.
Lastly, the DG said, Promotion of Indigenous Content will create an enabling environment for promoting and adopting indigenous innovation for a digital economy, develop indigenous products and services, increase patronage, and enable iterative problem-solving by indigenous digital technology.
In his earlier remarks, the Co-Founder of Corporate Farmers International, Mr Akinwale Alabi, said the company is known for innovation around the agricultural ecosystem, building technologies, and rendering solutions for the system at large to boost production of agricultural produce.
“Our major focus is to building young entrepreneurs and youth talents that will shape the narrative of Agriculture. And build a new system that will take Nigeria’s agricultural system to the next level”, Alabi said.
“I want to commend the DG of NITDA for the giant strides, intervention, programs, and the launch of the Digital Agricultural strategy that concentrates on the Agricultural sector. Taking advantage and being part of the enterprise document will change people’s perception of farming in the country.”
Alabi further revealed that it developed a system that speaks about Agricultural digital e-learning for young entrepreneurs to plugin quickly and learns easily across the agricultural value chain. This was done in 2022 when Covid was at its peak. And this has helped many farmers gain knowledge about agricultural activities, thereby changing their perception of farming.
Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) has outlined five strategic pathways to accelerate the adoption of the .ng domain and position it as a critical driver of Nigeria’s digital economy.
NiRA
Oluwaseyi Onasanya, Chief Operating Officer of NiRA, presented the framework at a Media Advocacy and Capacity Building Workshop held on April 16.
Onasanya described the .ng domain as a key component of Nigeria’s digital sovereignty, noting that the country has about 65 per cent internet penetration and over 35.6 million Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) contributing nearly 48 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
She said the first pathway involves mandating the use of .ng domains across all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as subnational entities, government vendors and tax remitters.
According to her, this would ensure that all official digital communications with government institutions are conducted through .ng platforms, while also linking domain usage to Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration and procurement processes.
The second strategy focuses on a nationwide awareness campaign tagged “Own Your .ng, Own Your Future,” aimed at promoting the domain as a symbol of national identity, trust and economic value.
Onasanya said the third pathway calls for leadership from the private sector, urging banks, telecommunications companies, startups and SMEs to adopt .ng domains and integrate them into onboarding processes.
She added that the fourth strategy seeks to position .ng as a secure and regulated alternative to foreign domains, enhancing consumer confidence, improving local search visibility and strengthening jurisdictional control.
The fifth pathway centres on expanding the digital ecosystem by strengthening registrar networks, simplifying user experience and integrating .ng domains into internet service providers, digital platforms and national performance metrics.
Onasanya warned that Nigeria’s domain adoption rate remains low compared to global peers, noting that the country has approximately one domain per 855 citizens, far behind countries like Germany, the United Kingdom and China.
She cautioned that low adoption could lead to capital flight, as businesses continue to rely on foreign domain platforms in an increasingly digital global economy.
She also called on the media to drive awareness, shape public perception and promote adoption by highlighting the economic value of .ng domains across sectors.
“Without media, .ng stays technical. With media, it becomes economic,” he said.
NiRA said that over 240,000 .ng domains have been registered so far, with projections indicating continued growth as Nigeria targets a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, has announced the layoff of about 1,000 employees as part of efforts to improve efficiency through artificial intelligence.
Evan Spiegel, chief executive officer, disclosed this in a memo on Wednesday, noting that the cuts represent about 16 per cent of the company’s full-time workforce and include the elimination of more than 300 unfilled roles.
Spiegel said advancements in artificial intelligence were enabling teams to reduce repetitive tasks, increase productivity and accelerate project execution.
“We believe that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence enable our teams to reduce repetitive work, increase velocity and better support our community, partners and advertisers,” he said.
He added that smaller teams using AI tools had already delivered meaningful progress across key initiatives.
The California-based firm said the restructuring would help cut over $500 million in annual costs by the second half of the year, providing a clearer path to profitability.
Spiegel described the decision as difficult, expressing regret over the impact on affected employees.
“This is an incredibly difficult decision, and I am deeply sorry to the colleagues who will be leaving us,” he said.
Snap joins a growing number of technology companies downsizing their workforce while citing productivity gains from artificial intelligence.
The company has undergone multiple rounds of layoffs in recent years amid stiff competition from rivals such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
Meanwhile, activist investor Irenic Capital Management recently disclosed a 2.5 per cent stake in Snap, calling for cost-cutting measures, including a review of its Spectacles smart glasses unit.
Shares of Snap rose by more than 7.5 per cent following the announcement, although the stock remains down compared to earlier in the year.
Data from Layoffs.fyi shows that more than 72,000 employees have been laid off by nearly 90 tech companies globally so far in 2026.
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has cautioned broadcast presenters against bullying guests during live interviews or presenting personal opinions as facts, warning that such actions will attract sanctions.
NBC
In a statement issued on Friday, the commission said it had observed a rise in violations of the sixth edition of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code across news, current affairs and political programmes.
“Broadcast platforms are increasingly being deployed in ways that depart from their core obligation to inform the public with accuracy, balance and professionalism,” the NBC said.
The commission noted that some anchors and presenters were deviating from professional standards by denying fair hearing to opposing views and compromising neutrality during broadcasts.
It stressed that such conduct violates provisions of the broadcasting code, which require impartiality and fair representation of all sides on issues of public interest.
“Henceforth, any anchor or presenter found to have expressed personal opinion as fact, bullied or intimidated a guest, denied fair hearing to opposing views, or otherwise compromised neutrality, shall be deemed to have committed a Class B breach,” the statement added.
The NBC also raised concerns over the growing use of broadcast platforms by political actors to promote divisive, inflammatory and unverified content.
It emphasised that broadcasters bear full editorial responsibility for all material aired, including live programmes, and cannot transfer that responsibility to guests.
The commission reiterated its commitment to enforcing strict compliance with the broadcasting code, warning that violations involving hate speech, incitement and imbalance would attract appropriate sanctions.
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