Telecom
NITDA to prioritise stakeholders’ needs in programmes, projects
The Management of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) annual Retreat held in Lagos, has resolved to consistently focus on prioritizing the needs of their stakeholders in formulating policies, programmes and regulatory instruments that will further boast developmental regulation role for a sustainable Digital Economy.
The management of the Agency also emphasized a bottom-up approach as a modified method to its stakeholders’ engagement going forward, and increase private sector contribution in the formulation of standards, guidelines and frameworks.
Speaking at the event, the head of the management team and Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General/CEO of NITDA, stated the need to reshape the Agency’s future with collective leadership and individual accountability.
He implores heads of departments and units to always work with their team rather than in silos for the best idea to emerge.
He mentioned that he has done a lot in democratizing the leadership by giving free hands for individuals to perform their tasks using their ideas and innovations.
He said, this is the only way to train and duplicate leadership such that everyone takes responsibility for their actions and decisions, adding that part of their role as management staff of the Agency is to enable subordinates to gain perspective and content as well as to think and behave rightly.
“NITDA is winning today no doubt, as we are among the top Agencies in the country but that is not enough, we need to shape our tomorrow.
“If we think we are winning today and we are comfortable, tomorrow we would be forgotten because what helped us to win today will not help us win tomorrow,” he asserted.
The need to develop collective leadership skills and strategically position the Agency to consolidate on the present wins for a better tomorrow, and continuous dedication to the implementation of Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2021-2024), developed two years ago, was extensively discussed at the retreat.
The two-day management retreat with the theme “Connecting the dots for an Accelerated Digital Future” had resource personnel that addressed the management staff on “re-imagining NITDA’s role in Achieving a Sustainable Digital Economy in Nigeria”.
A stimulating presentation by the president of ISPON, Chineneye Mba-Uzokwu, wherein he applauded NITDA’s giant strides in so many respects while admitting that the interactions he had with the management has further earned the Agency his loyalty and respect being the first time he will come in contact with a public institution that operates with a private organization’s mindset.
The second presentation titled: “An Understanding of the Regulatory Function of NITDA as a Developmental Agency in a Digital Economy” by Kolawole Osinowo, tasked the management on creative thinking exercise where groups were given tools to build and create their perception of NITDA as a development organization. It was a thrilling exercise.
The annual retreat has become a tradition in NITDA, stemmed from the management’s decision to upscale the performance of the Agency through review of the past activities, evaluation of current programmes and initiatives while strategizing for future implementation.
Another presenter, Dr Nwachuckwu of Unilag and one of the resource persons took the health talk where he mentioned the importance of balancing the work-life approach for a healthy lifestyle, stating the need for regular checkups. He also disclosed the need for exercise because a healthy lifestyle consists of exercise, eating healthy meals and resting well.
At the end, the management resolved to continue to build trust with existing stakeholders while expanding frontiers of stakeholder’s engagement within the eco-system.
The Agency will continue to innovate, put people first and be professional in conduct as stated in its core value.
Meta has announced new safety measures that will notify parents when teenagers using its artificial intelligence assistant show possible signs of suicide or self-harm during conversations.
The company said the initiative is aimed at ensuring age-appropriate AI experiences while helping parents provide timely support to children who may be in emotional distress.
Under the new feature, parents using Instagram’s parental supervision tools will receive alerts if Meta AI detects that a teen’s conversation indicates a potential risk of suicide or self-harm.
Meta said the alerts would be based on signals developed in collaboration with mental health experts and would include resources to help parents respond appropriately.
According to the company, all conversations flagged by its AI system will undergo manual review before any notification is sent to parents to minimise false alerts.
Meta said that where a teen’s intentions remain unclear, it would err on the side of caution by informing supervising parents.
The company also announced plans to introduce a system that would enable it to alert emergency responders when conversations with Meta AI suggest that a user—whether a teenager or an adult—may be at imminent risk of taking their own life.
It said the initiative builds on its existing suicide prevention efforts across Facebook and Instagram, where the company already notifies emergency services about credible suicide threats.
Meta disclosed that it made more than 19,000 referrals to emergency responders worldwide in the past year, leading to welfare checks on individuals considered to be at risk.
To improve the quality of its responses, the technology company said it consulted more than 75 clinicians specialising in adolescent mental health to review how Meta AI responds to prompts relating to suicide and self-harm.
The experts evaluated hundreds of AI interactions and provided recommendations on making responses more empathetic while directing teenagers to professional support and trusted adults.
Meta said it had incorporated the recommendations into its AI system to ensure more supportive and age-appropriate conversations.
The company also announced that its stricter Limited Content setting for Instagram Teen Accounts would now apply to Meta AI conversations.
According to Meta, the setting further limits the types of conversations teenagers can have with the AI assistant by declining to respond to a broader range of sensitive prompts.
The parental alert feature is already available to supervising parents in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, while global rollout is expected before the end of the year.
In a major milestone for Nigeria’s technological advancement, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has officially handed over its Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) framework to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), presenting the Agency’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2.0) to the Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, during a courtesy visit to the Agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
This transfer of assets, technology, and ongoing operations is designed to provide the robust security backbone needed to establish a modern, integrated, and highly secure national digital identity ecosystem.
Speaking at the formal handover ceremony during a courtesy visit by NIMC leadership to NITDA’s headquarters, NITDA Director-General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, described the move as a clear demonstration of the agency’s commitment to collaborating with institutions leveraging technology for national development.
Inuwa noted that NITDA has done extensive, foundational work around PKI and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and will work hand-in-hand with NIMC’s team to ensure a seamless transition of the infrastructure.
As a technical framework, PKI enables the creation, management, verification, and authentication of digital identities using digital certificates. It serves as a vital tool for ensuring secure, trusted, and encrypted communications and transactions across the country.
The handover directly supports the updated NIMC Act, recently signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which aims to harmonise identity databases across government agencies and establish the National Identification Number (NIN) as the cornerstone for identity verification, authentication, and public service delivery.
During the engagement, Inuwa also reaffirmed NITDA’s broader commitment to driving nationwide technology adoption. He emphasised that as Nigeria’s apex IT regulator, NITDA’s core mission is to help every citizen adopt and utilize technology, pledging ongoing support for NIMC and any other institution working to digitize their operations.
He explained that NITDA’s mandate extends beyond regulation to fostering collaboration, supporting innovation, and ensuring digital solutions are inclusive for all.
He further stressed that Digital Public Infrastructure is just as vital to economic growth as physical infrastructure and must remain secure, reliable, and accessible.
NIMC Director-General and CEO, Engr. (Dr) Abisoye Coker-Odusote, thanked the NITDA leadership and highlighted the transformative potential of the newly enacted NIMC Act, which officially replaces a nearly two-decade-old framework from 2007.
She explained that the new law marks a structured, coded transition from a traditional identity database to a modern digital identity ecosystem. This shift is designed to ensure seamless interoperability, security, and efficiency across both public and private sector platforms.
By moving away from old card-based systems toward secure digital credentials, the new framework is anchored on the principle of “one person, one identity,” giving every Nigerian a unique and verifiable digital presence.
The updated Act provides the essential legal backing for deploying PKI and other trust frameworks to secure these digital interactions. To safeguard citizen data and maintain public trust, NIMC is rolling out this transition in carefully planned, gradual phases.
Both agencies emphasized that close cooperation is key to realizing Nigeria’s digital transformation goals. While NIMC manages the foundational identity backbone, NITDA will continue to focus on ecosystem development, regulation, and driving widespread tech adoption.
This alignment represents a unified step forward in building a secure, inclusive, and innovation-driven digital economy where all Nigerians can thrive.
Nigeria’s telecom operators recorded 155, 397 fibre-cut incidents between April and May 2026, and these they blame on why internet or calls suddenly stop working.
Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) showed fibre-cut incidents increased from 74 276 in April to a record 79 121 in May, bringing the two-month total to the highest level recorded by the industry.
This represents a 2 428% increase from the 5 934 incidents reported during the first quarter of 2026.
Vandalism remained the leading cause of fibre cuts, accounting for more than 54 000 incidents despite telecom infrastructure being designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure, a classification intended to strengthen protection of key digital assets.
Also road construction constantly damages fiber where iggers and machines tear up buried cables during road repairs or construction.
Even with all these, some state governments make it hard for companies to fix cables quickly across different areas with all manners of fees and levies.
The NCC designation provides for penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment for offenders, but operators continue to face widespread infrastructure damage.
Proposed solutions, including Nigeria’s Dig-Once policy and AI-powered fibre sensing technologies, have yet to achieve widespread adoption.
The NCC is developing a cost-based framework for shared underground duct infrastructure, while operators are exploring AI-powered fibre sensing technologies that can detect cable damage in real time and improve network resilience.
Nigeria is pursuing ambitious broadband targets under its National Broadband Plan and has expanded fibre deployment to about 35 000 kilometres.
However, infrastructure protection has not kept pace with network expansion, leaving subscribers vulnerable to unreliable connectivity despite continued operator investment.
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