News Highlights
- NITDA and Meta launched the Youth Online Safety Campaign and My Digital World (MDW) 2.0 to strengthen online safety and digital literacy among young Nigerians.
- The NITDA-Meta partnership has already reached over 94 million Nigerians and generated more than 216 million impressions through nationwide online safety and digital wellbeing campaigns.
Nigeria’s drive to create a safer digital environment for young people received a major boost as the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Meta deepened their strategic partnership with the launch of new youth-focused online safety initiatives aimed at strengthening digital trust and literacy across the country.
The renewed commitment was reaffirmed by the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, during the Youth Safety Summit organised by Meta at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
The summit brought together stakeholders from government, industry, civil society organisations and the education sector to strengthen collaborative efforts geared towards ensuring that young Nigerians enjoy safe, age-appropriate and positive online experiences.
A major highlight of the event was the unveiling of the Youth Online Safety Campaign and My Digital World (MDW) 2.0, initiatives developed by Meta in collaboration with NITDA and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development.
Represented by the Acting Director of Digital Literacy and Capacity Building Department, Dr Ahmed Tambuwal, Inuwa said the partnership aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly the pillars focused on economic reforms for inclusive growth and strengthening national security through enhanced cybersecurity measures.
According to him, building a digitally skilled population capable of safely navigating the online space is essential to unlocking innovation, entrepreneurship, job creation and broader economic opportunities.
Speaking on the summit’s theme, “Advancing Youth Online Safety Through Collaborative Action,” Inuwa stressed that safeguarding young people online requires collective action.
“Today’s theme is both timely and compelling. It reminds us that while digital technologies have created unprecedented opportunities for learning, innovation, entrepreneurship, and social connection, ensuring that young people can benefit from these opportunities safely is a shared responsibility,” he said.
The NITDA boss further emphasised that digital literacy cannot be separated from online safety.
“At NITDA, we believe that digital literacy and online safety are inseparable. Equipping citizens with digital skills without teaching them how to navigate the digital world safely, responsibly, and ethically would leave our work incomplete,” he stated.
He explained that this philosophy underpins NITDA’s National Digital Literacy Framework (NDLF) and its flagship Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL) initiative, through which the agency aims to achieve 70 per cent digital literacy by 2027 and 95 per cent by 2030.
Inuwa noted that online safety, digital citizenship, privacy, digital wellbeing, critical thinking and Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy have now become integral competencies within the framework.
“Within this framework, online safety, digital citizenship, privacy, digital wellbeing, critical thinking and, increasingly, Artificial Intelligence literacy are treated not as optional topics, but as essential competencies for every Nigerian,” he noted.
Highlighting the impact of the growing NITDA-Meta partnership, Inuwa described the collaboration as a model for effective public-private partnership in advancing Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.
Over the past year, both organisations jointly implemented the Youth Online Safety and Wellbeing Campaign, which reached more than 94 million people and generated over 216 million impressions across Facebook and Instagram, providing millions of Nigerians with practical guidance on online safety, privacy protection, digital wellbeing and responsible internet use.
The collaboration also extended to activities commemorating Safer Internet Day, during which members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) were engaged and empowered to serve as advocates of responsible digital behaviour in their communities. More recently, both organisations reaffirmed their commitment to advancing innovation and inclusion at the Nigeria Digital Economy Forum.
Expressing optimism about the launch of MDW 2.0, Inuwa described the initiative as a strategic platform capable of embedding online safety education within Nigeria’s wider digital literacy ecosystem.
“We believe MDW 2.0 presents an excellent opportunity to institutionalise online safety education within Nigeria’s broader digital literacy ecosystem,” he said.
He disclosed that NITDA plans to integrate the programme into teacher capacity-building initiatives, strengthen resources available to its nationwide network of Digital Literacy Champions, and expand awareness campaigns through partnerships with state governments, traditional institutions, faith-based organisations and community stakeholders.
According to him, ensuring children’s safety online requires more than secure digital platforms. “Our shared ambition should be to ensure that every Nigerian child is supported not only by safer digital platforms, but also by informed parents, empowered teachers, and digitally confident communities,” he remarked.
Describing the launch as a milestone, Inuwa said it signals the beginning of a deeper collaboration between government and industry aimed at raising a generation of digitally skilled, responsible and resilient Nigerians.
“Today’s launch is more than the unveiling of another programme. It is the beginning of a deeper strategic collaboration between government and industry to build a generation of Nigerians who are digitally skilled, digitally responsible, and digitally resilient,” he stated.
Also present at the event were the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, and the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim. Both ministers reaffirmed their ministries’ commitment to working with relevant stakeholders to formulate and implement policies that will foster a safe, inclusive and enabling digital environment for young Nigerians.
