The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has called on senior government officials to take ownership of Nigeria’s transition to Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), warning that the migration’s success depends not only on technical expertise but also on management support across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, made the call at the opening of an IPv6 migration readiness workshop in Abuja, organised by the agency in collaboration with the Nigeria IPv6 Council and the African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC).
Inuwa’s remarks were delivered by the Director of NITDA’s Digital Development Services Department, Mr Oladejo Olawumi, who highlighted the need for executive-level officials to understand the transition and provide the institutional backing required for its implementation.
The workshop adopts a two-stream approach, with one session designed to equip directors and management-level officials with the knowledge needed to guide the migration, while the other focuses on building the technical capacity of personnel responsible for executing it.
Explaining the rationale for involving senior officials, Inuwa said management’s understanding of the process would be critical to ensuring that technical teams receive the necessary support to implement the transition successfully.
“It is to help you understand the process of transitioning from IPv4 to IPv6 and why we need to do it. And importantly, to support the technical staff who are also being trained. So, you need to support them when they start the migration process. If you don’t understand what you are trying to do, it might be difficult for your technical staff to move forward.
“I want to congratulate you because you are the first set of this kind of training for the MDAs. Without having you on board, we cannot have a proper transition. That is why we are having this training to make sure that you have the skills and you are certified’’, he emphasised.
The transition comes amid growing demand for internet addresses as more devices, platforms and public services connect to digital networks. As government institutions increasingly store, process and exchange information electronically, reliable network infrastructure and sufficient addressing capacity are becoming essential to efficient service delivery.
IPv4, the older internet addressing protocol, supports approximately 4.3 billion unique addresses. However, the proliferation of smartphones, smart televisions, security cameras, connected vehicles and other Internet of Things devices has intensified demand for connectivity.
IPv6 provides a vastly larger address space, offering a more sustainable foundation for expanding internet access, supporting connected devices and accommodating the growth of digital services.
Inuwa linked the migration to the Federal Government’s broader digital transformation agenda, particularly its efforts to make public services available online and strengthen the National Sovereign Cloud Initiative.
He stressed that the transition would provide the scalability required for government agencies to expand their digital platforms as adoption grows, enabling more Nigerians to access public services without necessarily visiting government offices physically.
For MDAs seeking to improve service delivery and reduce administrative bottlenecks, IPv6 adoption represents part of the underlying digital infrastructure needed to support increasingly online and data-driven operations.
Beyond infrastructure development, the NITDA chief urged directors and management officials to encourage their technical personnel to participate actively in the training, noting that specialised networking skills could create professional opportunities for participants.
He disclosed that NITDA was funding certification for participating technical personnel, who were expected to sit examinations at the end of the programme. The initiative, he said, was intended to strengthen institutional capacity while investing in the professional development of the personnel responsible for implementing the migration.
The technical training and Directorial/Management sessions are being facilitated by Mohamed Rudman, chairman of the IPv6 Council of Nigeria and chief executive officer of the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN).
Rudman welcomed the collaboration with NITDA, describing the initiative as an important step towards promoting IPv6 adoption across government institutions. He urged participants to engage actively with the facilitators, stressing that their involvement would be crucial to preparing MDAs for the transition.
The initiative highlights the importance of aligning executive commitment with technical readiness as Nigeria seeks to strengthen its digital infrastructure and expand technology-enabled public services.