News
NITDA DG says Corps Members Catalysts for Technological Innovation
Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has urged Corp members and Interns serving in the agency to transform their creative ideas into viable technology startups, assuring them of the agency’s support in turning their innovations into real products and services.
Inuwa made the call at the grand finale of the NITDA Innovation Challenge 1.0, held at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja. The event featured presentations by Corp members and Interns who showcased technology-driven projects developed under NITDA’s internal innovation programme aimed at solving real-life problems and improving service delivery.
Sharing his personal journey, the DG recounted how his career in technology began during his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) year over two decades ago.
“I had an opportunity to build a website for the place I served, and that opened doors for me,” he said. “Before I finished my service, a company offered me a contract worth ₦1.5 million to develop another website. Since then, I have remained committed to creating value through technology.”
He revealed that NITDA currently hosts over 550 Corp members, many of whom face employment challenges after their service year. To address this, he said the agency is providing platforms that enable them to acquire digital skills, refine their ideas, and build startups before completing their service year.
“We know it’s not easy to get jobs after NYSC,” he noted. “So we are creating opportunities for you to build your own startups while you are here. You don’t have to wait until after your service year — you can start testing your ideas right now.”
The DG commended the participants for their innovative ideas ranging from smart performance tracking systems to digital branding tools, knowledge management platforms, job placement systems, and certificate verification solutions.
“These are solutions we truly need,” he said, encouraging them to continue exploring new possibilities and building solutions that will define Nigeria’s digital future.
In his remarks, Dr. Ayodeji Eniola, Director in the DG’s Office, described the Innovation Challenge as more than a competition, calling it a “movement” that will redefine innovation within NITDA and across the public sector.
“What we are witnessing today is not just a programme but a movement,” he said. “In the years to come, the world will look back at this moment and celebrate it because the innovations developed here will not only transform NITDA but the entire public service.”
He explained that the initiative was inspired by the DG’s vision to institutionalise innovation through a structured approach, which led to the creation of the NITDA Innovation Framework (NIF) — a blueprint for harnessing creativity and improving public sector efficiency.
“Innovation is not about competition; it’s about collaboration,” Eniola added. “Everyone who took part in this challenge has contributed to building the foundation of something much bigger. Together, we are shaping the future of Nigeria’s digital economy.”
Under the framework, staff, Corp members, and Interns were encouraged to identify and propose solutions to real challenges within NITDA’s operations and national digital transformation agenda.
The maiden edition of the Challenge attracted 35 submissions from various departments. After screening, 13 priority challenges were selected, leading to the formation of 24 teams that participated in workshops, mentorship sessions, and pitching events. Out of these, 23 teams successfully completed their projects, addressing 10 key internal issues within the agency.
Ten finalist teams presented their innovations before the NITDA Innovation Council, with six emerging as winners.
The NITDA Innovation Challenge is part of the agency’s broader strategy to foster creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving within the public sector, in alignment with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS).
Through initiatives like this, NITDA aims to position itself as a model for innovation-driven governance and a launchpad for young Nigerian entrepreneurs.
Highlights of the event included the presentation of cash awards to the top six winning teams as follows: Team X (COPA) – 1st Place; Team Sentinel (Smart ID) – 2nd Place; Smart Track Innovators – 3rd Place; Team Trivergent – 4th Place; Team TechLogs (SafeCheck) – 5th Place; Team Big Tech (Digital Brainbox) and Team SRAPture – tied for 6th Place.
Union Bank of Nigeria has secured certification under the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) version 4.0.1, a global standard for protecting payment card data.
The certification took effect on August 11, 2026, confirming that the bank’s systems for storing, processing and transmitting customers’ credit and debit card information meet stringent international security requirements.
PCI DSS certification is designed to reduce the risk of payment card data breaches and financial fraud while strengthening customer confidence in electronic payment systems.
The assessment covered key areas of Union Bank’s operations, including network infrastructure, card issuance, ATM and POS transactions, payment processing, reconciliation, settlement, chargebacks, dispute resolution and retail banking.
Union Bank was assessed and certified under the Service Provider category.
The certification process lasted a full year and involved quarterly assessments, with support from departmental, business and functional heads across the bank. Digital security firm Digital Encode supported the process, while the final independent audit was conducted by CyberCube, an accredited Qualified Security Assessor.
Yetunde B. Oni, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Union Bank, said the certification demonstrates the bank’s commitment to protecting customer information.
“The security of our customers’ information is central to everything we do at Union Bank. This certification reaffirms that our payment systems and processes meet a rigorous global standard, and it reflects the discipline of colleagues across the Bank who work every day to keep customer data safe.”
The renewal also ensures that Union Bank maintains continuous PCI DSS certification, in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s requirement for banks to sustain compliance without interruption.
New data from CFA Society Nigeria is reshaping how the country’s financial sector thinks about talent development, with Access emerging as the single largest source of CFA candidates in Nigeria, distinction industry watchers say signals a deeper shift in how leading institutions are building investment expertise from within.
In its Where Nigeria’s Finance Professionals Work series, published in a national daily, CFA Society Nigeria placed Access first among employers of CFA candidates nationwide, with 82 candidates enrolled in the programme, more than double the 38 recorded at the next-placed institution and well ahead of every other bank or financial services firm on the list.
Access also ranked second among employers of CFA charterholders, with 11 professionals who have completed all three levels of the Programme and met its experience and ethics requirements.
For an industry that has long measured itself by balance sheet size and branch count, the rankings point to a different kind of competition: one over who is building the deepest bench of certified, globally credentialed talent.
CFA Society Nigeria compiled the data from its Salesforce Membership Database as at June 2026, and described the exercise as a way of recognising employers whose people “bring rigour, integrity and global best practices into the workplace every day.”
Analysts following the sector say the outcome is notable less for the ranking itself than for what it suggests about talent strategy across Africa’s financial services industry. A single institution developing more aspiring charterholders than the rest of the market combined raises the floor for professional standards nationally, not just within one balance sheet.
Every candidate who advances through the CFA Programme adds to a shared pool of ethics-trained, analytically rigorous professionals that Nigeria’s capital markets, pension funds and asset managers all eventually draw from.
Access Holdings Group Chief Executive Officer Innocent C. Ike, commenting on the rankings, framed the achievement in terms of institution-building rather than recruitment: “Every candidate on that list represents our commitment to building institutions and professionals that endure.”
The remark echoes a broader thesis increasingly voiced by market observers, that talent depth, not scale alone, is what will determine which African financial institutions earn lasting global credibility.
That distinction sits at the centre of Access’s stated ambition to become the World’s Most Respected African Financial Services Group. If the CFA numbers are any indication, the Group’s route to that goal runs less through square metres of branch network and more through the calibre of the people sitting inside it, a bet that Nigeria’s finance professionals, and the institutions that will one day hire them, are already placing alongside Access.
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced plans to introduce Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) baggage tracking technology across domestic and international airport terminals to tackle the growing problem of delayed, misrouted and missing luggages
Michael Achimugu, director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA, disclosed this at a stakeholder engagement forum in Lagos.
Achimugu said the RFID-enabled system would replace the traditional barcode-based baggage tracking framework and provide airlines and passengers with real-time visibility of checked luggage from check-in to final collection.
According to him, the technology would improve baggage traceability, reduce mishandling and strengthen accountability across the baggage-handling chain.
Unlike conventional barcode systems, RFID technology allows baggage to be automatically scanned at multiple points without requiring direct line of sight, enabling real-time tracking of luggage throughout its journey.
Achimugu said issues involving short-landed, missing, lost or damaged baggage had remained among the major complaints from air travellers, alongside flight delays.
He said the introduction of RFID technology was therefore aimed at improving baggage-handling standards and restoring passenger confidence in the aviation sector.
The NCAA said the initiative also aligns with IATA Resolution 753, which requires airlines to track baggage at key points during the passenger journey.
The authority expects the technology to provide more accurate information on the location of luggage, facilitate quicker resolution of baggage-related complaints and improve the overall passenger experience.
The NCAA said the initiative would also strengthen accountability among airlines and other stakeholders involved in baggage handling at Nigerian airports.
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