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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has provided insights on how the country’s innovative IT Policy is helping to drive adoption of blockchain technology across sectors.
RELATED: Nigeria signals blockchain future with launch of National Blockchain Policy
Director General, NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, who participated in a panel discussion on “Blockchain Innovation Program: Changing Lives Through BSV Education,” said Nigeria has employed several innovative approaches including creating the National Blockchain Policy for Nigeria, unveiled last month by former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, to help Nigeria’s transition into the digital economy by using blockchain technology in boosting innovation, improving public services, creating jobs, reducing corruption and driving economic growth.
Abdullahi, who was represented at the three-day London Blockchain Conference, by NITDA’s Director of Information Technology Infrastructure Solutions, Dr. Usman Gambo Abdullahi, said the policy has helped to trigger a nationwide adoption of the technology.
He stressed the global high demand for employable skills noting that with a population of over 200 million, Nigeria accounts for about 50% of West Africa’s population and has a significant brain capital as well as a strong comparative advantage to leverage blockchain technology to supply highly skilled labour to the global market.
“It is in this regard that the NITDA commissioned the National Talent Gap Assessment that resulted in the development of the National Digital Skills Strategy; the NITDA Blockchain Scholarship Scheme with Domineum Blockchain Technology Solutions as the implementing partner and BSV Blockchain Association through BSV Blockchain Academy as the content provider,” the NITDA boss said.
Adding that part of the agency has a grand plan of adding 500,000 blockchain professionals to the talent pool with the aim of making Nigeria a leading talent hub for blockchain innovation and development. According to him, the first batch of the scholarship programme recorded about 92,000 applications out of which 32,000 have successfully completed the programme and their certificates issued at the launching of the policy.
He urged the global blockchain community to support Nigeria in its aspiration to drive blockchain adoption anchored on the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria (NDEPS) unveiled in 2019 by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The NDEPS is fostered on eight pillars including Developmental Regulation, Digital Literacy and Skills, Digital Entrepreneurship, Indigenous of Content Development and Promotion, Digital Transformation, Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies.
Abdullahi noted that the implementation of the National Blockchain Policy for Nigeria, focuses on three of these pillars namely: talent development, innovation, and adoption; all aimed at helping Nigeria achieve, among others, improved transparency and accountability, increased efficiency, enhanced security, financial inclusion and job creation. It will also help in boosting innovation, improving government services, driving economic growth, enhancing public trust in governance and promoting citizen engagement.
“It is exciting to note that Nigeria secured the commitment of BSV Blockchain Association through Stefan Mathews, co-Founder and Executive Chairman of the nChain Group, a global Blockchain technology and Intellectual Property holding company as well as Executive Committee member of Bitcoin Association, for subsequent batches of the programme,” said Abdullahi adding that NITDA issued the National Blockchain Adoption Strategy in 2021, after series of engagements with ecosystem stakeholders.
The Strategy focused on six initiatives, namely Establishment of Nigeria Blockchain Consortium; Strengthening of the Regulatory and legal framework; Provision of National Digital Identity; Promotion of Blockchain Digital Literacy and Awareness; Creation of Blockchain Business Incentive Programmes; and Establishment of a National Blockchain Sandbox for Proof of Concepts and Pilot Implementation. The National Blockchain Policy leverages the successes achieved as well as lessons learned from the implementation of the Strategy.
