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With approximately 40 million small businesses contributing to 50 percent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and creating 70 million jobs, Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, announced plans for collaboration with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).
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This partnership aims to implement joint programs focusing on infrastructure, digital literacy, and more, intending to establish a comprehensive database for informed interventions.
The NITDA boss disclosed these intentions during a visit by SMEDAN’s Director General, Charles Odii. The visit sought to explore partnerships for infrastructural and human capital development in SMEs and to propose a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for alignment and further discussions.
Highlighting opportunities outlined in the NITDA Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2.0), Abdullahi emphasized the importance of digital literacy and talent cultivation, especially for SMEs. He envisioned digital literacy fostering productivity enhancements, citing the National Digital Literacy Framework (NDLF) as a guiding principle.
In addressing the significance of SMEs, he underscored their pivotal role in Nigeria’s workforce and economy, emphasizing the need to leverage incentives within the Nigerian Startup Act to benefit innovative-driven enterprises. He proposed utilizing existing IT hubs as infrastructure for underserved areas, aligning with SRAP 2.0’s objective of promoting inclusive digital access.
Furthermore, he stressed the importance of cybersecurity solutions tailored for SMEs to bolster digital trust and emphasized nurturing an innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem to drive economic growth.
Echoing these sentiments, SMEDAN’s boss, Odii, highlighted ongoing digital literacy initiatives and expressed a desire for collaboration to ensure alignment with global standards and the NDLF. He also emphasized the importance of SMEs leveraging the Startup Act’s benefits and proposed collaboration to enhance SME databases in line with NITDA’s data entrepreneurship framework.
