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FG Rallies Multinationals, Private Stakeholders in Boosting Nation’s Digital Skills

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In its continued effort at maximising socio-economic opportunities and target of achieving 95% digital literacy penetration by the year 2030 in the country, the Federal Government of Nigeria through the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has engaged Multinationals and Private organisations to develop and co-create National Digital Skills Strategy (NDSS).

The NDSS is a policy document developed by NITDA under the directive of the Honorable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), to bridge the digital skills gap in the country and develop a clear road map for the diversification of the nation’s economy and sustainability of its digital economy.

The engagement, which was held virtually, had representatives from International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), APPLE, HUAWEI, META, ORACLE, GOOGLE, CISCO Software Inc and many others.

While giving an insight into the genesis of the development of the NDSS during his remarks, the NITDA Director General, Kashifu Inuwa, disclosed that the agency, in collaboration with the Co-Creation Hub, undertook research to understand existing talent and skills which later on birthed the first draft of the NDSS.

Inuwa stated that the NDSS will help re-position the country in alignment with global standards and to take full advantage of the digital economy benefits, while identifying Digital Literacy & Skills as a critical strategic pillar in the Agency’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) 2021-2024 towards the implementation of the present administration’s National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS).

“In line with the digital literacy and skills pillar of NDEPS for a Digital Nigeria, NITDA has set out a target of 1 million developers and skills by December 2023 and thus, rolled out several capacity buildings programmes that are targeted at people from different sectors of the economy’, he noted.

The NITDA DG added that many of the capacity-building programmes were conducted in collaboration with professional ICT bodies, international corporations, and non-governmental organisations to provide stronger support for reskilling and upskilling for at-risk or displaced workers.

“As the apex Information Technology development and regulatory agency in the country, the collaboration of the Agency with key multinational and private stakeholders in developing the NDSS will produce a robust strategy. The creation of the first draft by volunteer expert groups, talent gap assessment, and co-creation with government stakeholders are some of the achievements made so far,” he said.

Inuwa also urged everyone, especially stakeholders and other well-meaning Nigerians in the digital economy family to make inputs that would meet the unified mission and vision of the NDSS.

While expressing his belief in the promising outcome of the collaboration, Inuwa stated that “this is a crucial milestone in our efforts to harmoniously engage with Multinationals and Private sectors as one of the key stakeholders for developing and co-creating the NDSS, and to come up with a comprehensive strategy for setting up standards and developing Digital Literacy & Skills in the country, as well as developing IT professional skills of different proficiency levels,” he added.

The Acting Director of the Digital Literacy and Capacity Building Department of NITDA, Dr. Amina Sambo-Magaji thanked all participants for the support and cooperation given thus far.

She stated that the Rule Making Process (RMP) of NITDA has made provision for engagement in the development of the NDSS.

While noting that the selection of the multinationals and tech giants for the collaboration had been carefully done regarding their operations as individual organisations, she was confident that the co-creation of the NDSS will align with the document’s priority and consequently produce a robust one.


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Ugo Onwuaso is an ICT enthusiast. He believes technology should be used for general good. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Lagos state University. 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

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MTN @ Swish Fusion Summit, Showcases 5G Rollout Strategy

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MTN Nigeria Communications Plc has joined other professionals across media, technology, and business gathered in Lagos for the Swish Fusion Tech and Media Summit.

MTN @ Swish Fusion Summit, Showcases 5G Rollout Strategy

Themed ‘Africa: Big Wins & New Breaks’, the summit drew thousands of attendees and featured more than 40 speakers exploring the intersection of innovation, regulation, and economic growth across the continent.

Among the sessions, MTN Nigeria presented a detailed look at the company’s ongoing 5G deployment efforts and its role in shaping enterprise infrastructure.

Njideka Jack, senior manager for Partnerships in MTN’s Enterprise Business Division,  shared details of the investments, reiterating the company’s commitment to delivering high-quality 5G-powered services.

The company’s 5G rollout timeline began in 2022 with license acquisition from the Nigerian Communications Commission. In 2023, MTN moved into pilot testing and infrastructure investment.

By 2024, coverage had expanded to key cities and business hubs.

The company now plans to extend access to more underserved areas throughout 2025 while deepening collaboration with OEMs and regulators.

Beyond the rollout itself, Jack also spoke on the potential of private 5G networks for Nigerian enterprises.

With the ability to offer secure, high-speed, low-latency connectivity, these networks are increasingly being adopted in manufacturing, healthcare, education, and logistics sectors.

The summit’s broader agenda reflected a similar sense of urgency around Africa’s digital future.

Panels and breakout sessions tackled topics ranging from mobile-first product design and regulatory frameworks to the rise of AI in content creation and the realities of funding early-stage tech ventures on the continent.

Speakers from companies like Jumia, Stears and local startups provided perspectives on both the barriers and breakthroughs in building scalable African solutions.

The sessions also sparked conversations about how African businesses are adapting to consumer behaviour shifts and infrastructure limitations.


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PAT Taps Osi as CEO

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Pan African Towers (PAT), a Nigerian infrastructure provider serving 9mobile and Spectranet, has appointed Echezona Osi as chief executive officer.

PAT Taps Osi as CEO

Echezona Osi

Adefolarin Ogunsanya, company’s, board chairman,  explained in a statement that Osi would succeed Oladipo Badru, whose tenure lasted nine months in acting CEO position. Osi has more than 28 years of experience in the telecommunications sector across various regions of Africa.

Prior to his appointment as CEO, he had served as the head of network deployment at Airtel Nigeria, operations director and chief technical information officer at MIC Tanzania, chief technology officer roles at IPT PowerTech Nigeria, Rhino Niger Networks and Biswal Nigeria.

He obtained a degree in electrical/ electronic engineering from the University of Benin and a postgraduate diploma in data science and business analytics from the University of Texas.


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NCC Introduces N10m Licence Fee for Bulk SMS Service

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Companies sending bulk international text messages, also known as Application-to-Person (A2P) messages, will now have apply for a licence that costs N10 million.

NCC Introduces N10m Licence Fee for Bulk SMS Service

This is part of new rules introduced by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) aimed at cleaning up the system, fighting fraud, blocking spam messages and stopping money from leaving the country unchecked.

These A2P messages are the kind customers get from banks, online stores, hospitals and political campaigns, automated texts sent from apps to their phones.

According to the commission, the bulk international text message system has been poorly regulated, allowing misuse and invasion of privacy.

“The International SMS Service Ecosystem in Nigeria has not been fully brought under regulatory control. It has been observed that the excessive use of the Short Message Service has led to fraud, spam and illegal activities,” the NCC said.

The regulator warned that without action, the problem would worsen as more people use mobile phones and digital services.

To solve this, the NCC is creating a central platform, or gateway, through which all international bulk text messages must pass through.

The agency said this would help to monitor messages in real time, ensure proper fees are paid, and make sure the money stays in Nigeria where it can contribute to the economy.

As part of the incoming change, service providers must follow strict rules, including strong data protection, spam filters, and message encryption.

Also, they must also work with local mobile networks and make sure all messages come from a verified sender

The NCC warned that any message without a proper sender ID will be blocked and not delivered to users.

To protect users from unwanted texts, the new rules say companies must get clear permission before sending any promotional content.

The rule also says people must also be able to choose whether they want to receive such messages or not.

Companies are now required to keep records of all messages for at least six months and must clearly state all charges involved.

The NCC said fees for help requests, cancellations, or service info must be transparent and not include hidden charges.

The commission will issue licences to several providers to encourage healthy competition but may limit new licences if needed.

Only companies that show they can stop fraud and safely deliver messages will be allowed to operate. They must also regularly report their message traffic and finances to the NCC.

It warned that any company that breaks the rules risks getting fined, suspended, or having its licence revoked.

Offences like charging illegal tariffs, ignoring security rules, or avoiding taxes will be punished, the NCC said.

The commission added that the new rules follow the Nigerian Data Protection Act 2023 and support the federal government’s goal of strengthening cybersecurity and controlling Nigeria’s digital space.

The framework will also be reviewed from time to time to keep up with new technology and market trends.


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