Connect with us

News

NITDA Reaffirms Commitment to Advancing Creative Economy with Digital Initiatives

Published

on

Kindly share this post

Aligning with the current administration’s focus on diversifying the economy through industrialisation, digitisation, creative arts, and manufacturing, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing Nigeria’s creative and arts industry through targeted digital initiatives, enabling regulations, and strategic infrastructure development aimed at unlocking the sector’s full economic potential.

Speaking at Moment 2026, Africa’s Largest Convergence of Creators, the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, emphasised that the Agency is focused on building a technology-driven ecosystem where creators can thrive, innovate, and compete globally.

Highlighting the growing importance of the sector, the DG, who was represented by the Director of the DG’s Office, Dr Ayodeji Eniola, noted that Nigeria’s creative industry, currently valued at over $9 billion, could exceed $13 billion in the coming years with the right support systems in place.

“Nigeria has always been a nation of storytellers, musicians, filmmakers, designers, and innovators. What is remarkable today is that this creativity has evolved beyond cultural expression to become a powerful economic force.”

He said that at the heart of NITDA’s interventions is digital talent development and mentioned that through flagship programmes such as the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) initiative, the Agency is equipping young Nigerians with critical skills in animation, visual effects, game development, and digital media, ensuring they are prepared for emerging opportunities in the global creator economy.

The DG stressed that the intersection of creativity and technology is central to the future of the industry.

“Today, creativity is powered by connectivity, computing power, digital platforms, and data. A smartphone, a laptop, and access to the internet can enable a young Nigerian to reach millions of people around the world.”

To support this transformation, Inuwa stated that NITDA is driving the development of key digital infrastructure, including the National Sovereign Cloud Initiative, which provides secure, scalable local computing resources for creators and digital entrepreneurs.

He also noted the Agency is supporting national broadband expansion efforts, such as Project BRIDGE, to improve connectivity and expand participation in the digital economy.

In addition to infrastructure, Inuwa disclosed that NITDA continues to strengthen regulatory frameworks that promote cybersecurity, data protection, and digital trust, critical elements for safeguarding creators’ intellectual property and ensuring safe participation in online ecosystems.

He announced that the Agency is also leveraging emerging technologies to position Nigeria at the forefront of innovation in the creative space. Through the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), he added that NITDA is advancing research and capacity building in artificial intelligence, enabling creators to integrate cutting-edge tools into content production and digital storytelling.

Reinforcing the broader national vision and calling on young creators to recognise the economic and global significance of their work, the DG said, “Your creativity is not just entertainment. It is innovation, intellectual property, economic opportunity, and national influence.”

He reiterated that the Agency will continue to implement policies, develop infrastructure, and foster innovation ecosystems that empower Nigeria’s creative sector to grow sustainably, create jobs, and contribute meaningfully to the country’s economic diversification agenda.


Kindly share this post

Dear Reader, Your support matters. But we believe that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. That is why, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and finance and how they affect lives. Our incisive and analytical view of how technology news affects the daily life help individuals and organizations make up their minds. Quality journalism costs money. Today, we're asking that you support us to do more. Kindly support our effort to deliver technology and finance journalism to everyone in the world. Donate as little as N1,000. Bank transfers can be made to: UBA Plc 1017156876 Communication Week Media Ltd

News

FG Unveils AI Public Services Platform

Published

on

Kindly share this post

Federal government has launched GovGuideNigeria, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered digital platform designed to streamline access to public service information through WhatsApp and the web.

The platform consolidates information from more than 35 federal ministries and over 60 government agencies, marking a significant step in Nigeria’s drive to expand AI-enabled public infrastructure and digital government services.

According to Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s minister of communications, innovation and digital economy, the initiative aims to simplify interactions with government services, particularly for underserved communities that often face challenges navigating complex public-sector systems.

Developed in collaboration with the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Meta, and Publica AI, GovGuideNigeria uses conversational AI to provide real-time responses via WhatsApp and a web interface in English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.

Sade Dada, head of public policy at Meta, said the multilingual rollout highlights the growing use of natural language processing within African public institutions to improve digital inclusion and broaden access to services.

Ignatius Willie, chief executive of Publica AI, said the platform demonstrates how Africa’s next generation of digital public infrastructure can be developed locally using African languages.

GovGuideNigeria is intended to address longstanding challenges in Nigeria’s public information system, where citizens often struggle to access reliable guidance because of fragmented government websites, poor communication channels and the expense of travelling to physical offices.

Through AI-driven automation, users can obtain information on immigration procedures, documentation requirements, public programmes and agency-specific services through chat-based interactions.

The launch also reflects Nigeria’s broader ambition to integrate AI into digital governance, while strengthening partnerships between government agencies, global technology companies and local AI startups to modernise public service delivery.


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

News

Elon Musk to Become First World’s Trillionaire with SpaceX Historic IPO

Published

on

Kindly share this post

Elon Musk is poised to become the world’s first trillionaire after  SpaceX, his company, confirmed plans to go public.

Elon Musk to Become First World’s Trillionaire with SpaceX Historic IPO

Elon Musk

Because Musk owns the majority of the shares, it could push his net worth over the trillion dollar mark.

The entrepreneur is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X, and xAI.

Musk has been the wealthiest person in the world since 2025; as of May 2026, Forbes estimates his net worth to be $788 billion.

SpaceX has filed for a blockbuster public listing in the United States, paving the way for what could become the largest stock market debut in Wall Street history.

The company, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies, announced plans to begin trading under the ticker symbol “SPCX” as early as next month.

The listing values SpaceX at about $1.25 trillion, with Musk’s majority ownership potentially worth more than $600 billion alone.

Combined with his existing holdings in companies including Tesla, the IPO could push Musk’s personal wealth above the $1 trillion mark.

The long-awaited filing also offered investors a rare look into SpaceX’s finances.

The company reported $18.6 billion in revenue last year but recorded a net loss of $4.9 billion. In the first quarter of this year, SpaceX generated $4.7 billion in sales while posting a $4.3 billion net loss.

Financial disclosures showed the company holds $102 billion in assets, including rockets, launch infrastructure and satellite systems, while carrying debts totalling $60.5 billion.

Despite the losses, analysts suggested investors were unlikely to be deterred given SpaceX’s dominance in commercial space launches and satellite internet services.

Ruth Foxe-Blader, managing partner at Citrine Venture Partners, described the planned flotation as “extremely exciting.”

“SpaceX is just an absolutely sprawling, enormous project with so many different selling points, and so many points that really point to the future,” she said.

SpaceX operates the Starlink satellite internet network and also owns Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI.

The IPO filing revealed that xAI recently reached a major commercial agreement with rival AI company Anthropic, maker of the Claude chatbot.

Under the arrangement, Anthropic will reportedly pay $15 billion annually to access data centre infrastructure linked to xAI operations in the American South.

The filing also disclosed that SpaceX expects to incur more than half a billion dollars in legal costs from multiple ongoing lawsuits and regulatory disputes.

Among the cases listed were claims alleging that xAI’s chatbot Grok had been used to create sexualised deepfakes of women and girls, alongside patent infringement disputes, music copyright claims, data breach allegations and investigations into compliance with European Union content moderation rules.

Musk has previously said he plans to dissolve xAI as a standalone company and pursue his AI ambitions directly under SpaceX.

The filing came shortly after Musk lost a high-profile legal battle against OpenAI and its chief executive Sam Altman.

Musk had accused OpenAI of abandoning its non-profit mission after shifting towards a commercial model, but a jury dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that he had waited too long to bring the claims.


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

News

Moniepoint Boosts UK Payments Security

Published

on

Kindly share this post

African financial services platform Moniepoint has partnered with open banking software-as-a-service provider tell.money to deploy a transaction security system in the UK market.

The companies said the partnership will allow Moniepoint to implement Confirmation of Payee, an account name-checking service designed to verify recipient details before payments are processed.

The integration will be rolled out through Monieworld, Moniepoint’s UK remittance subsidiary, as part of the company’s broader European expansion strategy.

Tell.money will provide the underlying verification technology, which the companies said is intended to reduce misdirected payments and help protect users against cross-border fraud.

Ravi Jakhodia, CEO of Monieworld, said: “Our goal with Monieworld is to build financial services for Africans in the diaspora.”

He added that tell.money was selected because it manages compliance and accreditation requirements, allowing the fintech company to focus on customer service.

Moniepoint is entering a competitive UK-to-Africa remittance market that includes established providers such as Wise, WorldRemit and Remitly, as well as African fintech firms including Flutterwave’s Send App.

According to data from the World Bank’s KNOMAD programme, remittance flows to low- and middle-income countries are estimated at about $620 billion annually, with digital -first platforms capturing increasing market share through open banking integrations and automated compliance systems.

The rollout reflects a broader trend of African fintech firms expanding into developed markets by adopting local regulatory and open banking standards.

Industry analysts expect diaspora-focused platforms to evolve beyond money transfers into services such as multi-currency banking, credit and investment products.


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

Trending