News
DG NITDA says National Identity will Fast-track Digital Economy Development
Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, the Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has said that setting the Digital Identity process on track will ensure effective implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy NDEPS, within the stipulated period.
Inuwa said this while playing hosting for the Nigeria Digital ID4D Project Team at the Agency’s Corporate Headquarters Abuja on Tuesday.
He highlighted Broadband Penetration, Digital Identity amongst critical areas to the attainment of Digital Economy. Adding that to achieve positive outcome in regard to Digital Economy, there is need for connectivity, and identify who consumes or provides the services and also you should be able to pay for the services.
The DG informed the Team that NITDA’s mandate of Developmental Regulation is in line with what ID4D is actually working on, and pledged them the Agency’s unalloyed support.
He acknowledged that collaboration between NITDA and ID4D as well as other relevant partners will always be welcomed with an open arm.
Inuwa reiterated thar government cannot do it alone, there by urging ID4D to help in whatever way they can for Nigeria get this Digital Identity and implement policies and mandate.
“Anything that has to do with identity, we need it to implement our mandate. Identity is key to Digital Economy. We believe we need each other to succeed, our mandates are interwoven, we need ID to succeed, and you also need us for the ID to be used in Digital Economy”, the DG said.
He also lauded what ID4D is doing, particularly on areas of Developmental Regulation, according to him, it will make impact on what NITDA is doing, adding that: “These Laws you are trying to help the government agencies to review, will equally help us.”
While expressing confidence that the Nigerian Digital space will soon compete with its peers globally, Inuwa “IT is dynamic, that is the reason why we are reenacting our own Bill that was passed in 2007; a lot of vocabularies are obsolete and things have changed, without that enactment, it will be difficult for us to deliver.
“We need to have a robust Law, because technology is growing and becoming dynamic, having a fixed law will be difficult to deliver, when the Technology evolves, the Law should be able to stretch and cover it”.
He also expressed concern with regulating the digital space, which he described as ungoverned space that needs to be regulated in the best way – a major challenge faced globally.
“The right regulation does not exist, we need to co-create it, because it is not something that you can learn from the previous generation, due to its non-existence during their time, it’s our collaboration that will bring the desired changes in developing the nations IT sector,” he noted.
Earlier in his address, the Coordinator Nigeria Digital ID4D Project, Musa Odole Solomon, appreciated NITDA’s stride in sanitising the Nigerian digital space.
“Since its establishment, NITDA has proven to be one of the Federal government institutions contributing immensely to the Nigerian Economy through its various relevant regulations, monitoring, evaluation and verification in fostering the development and growth of the Information Technology sector in the country.
Solomon said the ID4D Project objective is to increase the number of persons with a National Identity Number (NIN), issue a robust and inclusive foundational Identity system that facilitates their access to services.
He added that, “the project is designed following an ecosystem model, and not limited to any single organization. It involves different Agencies of government, private sector and civil society. The project had since identified NITDA as an important ecosystem implementing partner.
The Nigeria Digital ID4D is a five-year project, jointly funded by the World Bank, European Investment Bank and the French Development Agency.
Entrepreneurs backed by the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) have generated more than $4.2 billion in cumulative revenue since the organisation began its grant programme in 2015, according to Somachi Chris-Asoluka, chief executive officer of the foundation.
Chris-Asoluka, revealed this during a virtual media briefing, where she also stated that over $100 million has been distributed to nearly 24,000 young entrepreneurs across Africa.
She noted that the beneficiaries of the programme have gone on to create about 1.5 million jobs, both directly and indirectly, across various sectors of the continent’s economy.
The performance, she said, has strengthened the resolve of the foundation and its partners to scale up financial support for emerging businesses.
Chris-Asoluka emphasised that the foundation’s interventions are anchored on the conviction that entrepreneurship is central to reducing poverty and reshaping Africa’s economic future.
She explained that selected participants receive a $5,000 seed capital grant, in addition to structured business training and mentorship designed to help them either expand existing enterprises or establish new ones.
Highlighting operational challenges faced by entrepreneurs, she identified inadequate electricity supply as a major constraint.
According to her, many small businesses spend as much as 60 per cent of their earnings on alternative power solutions, including generators and inverters.
To mitigate this challenge, she disclosed that Tony Elumelu, TEF founder, alongside the foundation’s leadership, has been engaging governments across Africa on the urgent need to improve power infrastructure.
She further stated that investments by programme beneficiaries cut across critical sectors such as agriculture, artificial intelligence, manufacturing, and technology innovation.
Chris-Asoluka also announced that the foundation’s 2026 cohort of entrepreneurs will be formally unveiled by Elumelu in Abuja.
A new financial operations platform, Morney, has officially launched in Nigeria to help businesses face growing pressure to digitise their finance processes as the country’s shift towards electronic invoicing.
Developed by Morzoe Technologies Inc. and introduced locally through its partner, BuySimply Services Limited, the platform is designed to help organisations streamline and automate financial workflows.
Speaking at the launch, Head of Growth at BuySimply, ‘Mide Olubi, said many Nigerian organisations still depend on fragmented systems such as emails and spreadsheets to manage expenses, supplier invoices and payments.
According to him, this approach often results in inefficiencies, delayed processes, weak oversight and a higher risk of errors.
He noted that Nigeria’s increasing adoption of electronic invoicing and tax digitisation frameworks is accelerating the need for structured and transparent financial systems. Businesses, he said, must move away from manual processes and adopt platforms that provide clear visibility into financial operations.
Morney integrates payments, procurement, expenses and invoicing into a single system, enabling finance teams to automate approvals, monitor transactions in real time and maintain accurate records.
The platform also supports supplier onboarding and invoice processing, helping organisations better manage operational spending.
The company revealed that businesses across sectors such as FMCG, manufacturing, energy, banking and telecommunications are already adopting the solution to improve efficiency and strengthen financial control.
It added that the partnership with BuySimply reflects a broader trend of digital transformation, as organisations respond to evolving regulatory requirements and the demand for more efficient financial management systems.
Dr Krishnan Ranganath (Krish) to Lead UniCloud Africa in Continental Digital Infrastructure Push
UniCloud Africa Limited, the premier pan-African cloud platform dedicated to advancing the continent’s digital sovereignty, has announced the appointment of Dr. Krishnan Ranganath as its Chief Executive Officer.
Dr. Krish, a seasoned industry leader known for building and scaling digital infrastructure while maintaining rigorous operational excellence, steps into the role as UniCloud Africa accelerates its mission to redefine the continent’s digital landscape.
The appointment coincides with the groundbreaking launch and immediate availability of UniCloud Africa’s enterprise-grade Sovereign Cloud and Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure across six key markets: Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Zambia, Senegal, and Mozambique, even as it plans to launch in Kenya, Tanzania, DRC, Uganda, Ethiopia and Côte d’Ivoire as part of further continental expansion.
Operating under the mission of “One Cloud, One Africa,” UniCloud Africa provides governments and enterprises with a world-class, fully compliant sovereign cloud alternative to high-latency offshore providers,ensuring a robust, scalable foundation tailored to Africa’s unique environmental and economic needs.
“UniCloud sits at the epicentre of Africa’s cloud evolution. We are committed to deploying 100% sovereign infrastructure across the continent. My focus is on driving high-growth partnerships and scaling the next generation of resilient, sustainable cloud infrastructure to accelerate the evolution of the African digital ecosystem,” said Dr. Krish, CEO of UniCloud Africa Limited.
He disclosed that his focus at UniCloud Africa is on driving high-growth partnerships and scaling the next generation of resilient, sustainable cloud infrastructure, and will deploy GPUs in certain economies based on market potential and need.
While admitting that the challenges from AI integration to the green energy transition are immense, Dr Krish believes that the opportunities are greater. “I am eager to collaborate with our partners and customers to redefine the digital frontier and accelerate the evolution of the African digital ecosystem,” he added.
Ladi Okuneye, Co-founder and outgoing CEO (who remains as a director on the board) remarked: “As we enter this new chapter of growth, I am confident that Dr Krish’s extensive experience in the African digital landscape will add immense value. His technical depth and regional insight make him the ideal leader to drive UniCloud Africa forward.”
Before he was appointed CEO of UniCloud Africa, Dr. Krish was, until last month, the Regional Executive – West Africa at the Africa Data Centres (ADC).
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