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Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi has said that his agency is working with other stakeholders towards creating an irreversible transformative change in the way people live and work in the country.
He said collaboration has become essential especially with the widespread evolution into the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) which has ushered in the fusion of physical, digital and biological works.
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“In the past decade, as large projects require more companies and stakeholders to work together across time zones around the world, new ways of workings are demanding more seamless connections and faster access to real time information, that ushered in the next significant transformation which is cloud,” said Abdullahi while speaking in Abuja at the 7th College of Fellows Roundtable Symposium of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE).
Adding: “NITDA, as the nations’ apex IT regulatory body, believed that it will be difficult for Nigerians to catch up with its developmental pursuit without developing engineering and technology professions.
“Our Scientists, Engineers and Technologists are critical to solving our societal problems and challenges. The focus of Engineering is the making of things and work efficiently and effectively by applying the theories and principles of science and mathematics to research and develop economic solutions to technical problems.
The NITDA boss who was represented by the Director IT Infrastructure Solutions, Dr Usman Gambo Abdullahi, noted that 4IR has created opportunities for most existing engineers and people to stand out in their respective fields, with a view to becoming drivers of innovation, creating new inventions to press global challenges.
He said the role of engineers has become even more critical to the wellbeing of human existence even as he commended the resilience of engineers, architects and experts in the construction industries in the last 41 years all helping to change the narrative towards an accelerated digitally transformed sector.
His words: “It started with digitalisation, which is transition from paper drawings and analogue processes to digital tools and later computer system designs.
“As digitalisation was ongoing, Architects encountered increasingly complex design problems, such as global growing population, urbanization and climate change.
“On the Digitalisation agenda, the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) has been strategically set towards transforming the country into a leading digital economy; providing quality life and digital economies for all. And also, a mission of building a nation where digital innovation and entrepreneurship will be used to create value and prosperity for all.”
According to him the eight pillars on which the NDEPS is anchored “apply to engineering sector and every other sector in Nigeria. Digital Technology is at the heart of the engineering sectors, regulations and Engineering Literacy and Skills should be driven by digital technology.”
COVER PICTURE: The representative of Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Dr. Usman Gambo Abdullahi, Director, Information Technology Infrastructure Solutions Department delivering the keynote address during the 7th College of Fellows Roundtable Symposium organised by Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE).
