News Highlights:
- NITDA’s renewed commitment to disability inclusion in Digital Policy and Programs
- Strategic partnership with disability advocacy groups for Inclusive Digital Empowerment
At the heart of Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda lies a growing recognition that true progress must include every citizen, especially the often-overlooked population of persons with special needs, reports Digital TimesNG.
In a recent strategic dialogue with the Inclusive Friends Association, a disability advocacy group led by Executive Director Grace Jerry, the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, stressed the urgency of embedding disability inclusion across all levels of the agency’s digital initiatives.
“This brought to my attention the need to be more intentional in the way we design our programmes,” Inuwa admitted during the meeting at NITDA’s corporate headquarters. “There is no way we can achieve 95% digital inclusion if we exclude 35 million Nigerians.”
Inuwa’s remarks underscore the agency’s alignment with the Presidential priority area of “Reforming the Economy for Sustained Inclusive Growth,” acknowledging that while NITDA has conducted targeted training for people with special needs in various parts of the country, this must now be scaled up into a nationwide strategy.
“If you look at our office, we have facilities to cater for that and in our recruitment also, we make sure we take care of that. But now, we must go further and make sure our programmes reflect this inclusion,” he assured.
To ensure that digital policies reflect the lived realities of people with disabilities, Inuwa proposed the formal inclusion of representatives from the disability community in key committees responsible for drafting national ICT standards, training curricula, and strategic policy frameworks.
“Their presence,” he argued, “would not only represent their interests but strengthen implementation by pushing beyond government bureaucracy.”
Looking beyond policy, the NITDA boss suggested practical ways of embedding special needs inclusion into national digital programmes such as NYSC tech initiatives, women’s digital training cohorts, and flagship tech conferences.
These platforms, he said, must become accessible channels for skills development, entrepreneurship, and professional networking. “For us, it’s beyond just training. The real goal is empowerment, how we can train people to use IT to expand their businesses and improve their lives,” he noted.
Inuwa also reaffirmed NITDA’s openness to strategic partnerships with disability organisations, calling on them to work alongside the agency in shaping a digital future that is inclusive and equitable. “Whatever you do, you need IT as a tool. So, let us make sure everyone, regardless of ability, is equipped to use it,” he concluded.
In her earlier remarks, Grace Jerry thanked the agency for its openness and expressed concern over the wide digital divide affecting people with special needs, particularly women in northern Nigeria.
She called for their inclusion in the ongoing reviews and implementation monitoring of Nigeria’s digital literacy roadmap, warning that the country’s goal of attaining 95% digital literacy by 2030 could fall short without deliberate representation.
“Digital literacy is fast becoming a foundational skill for employment and without deliberate inclusion, millions will be left behind,” she stated, advocating for co-created policies that address the specific realities of disabled Nigerians.
The conversation marked a significant step forward in reimagining digital inclusion in Nigeria—not as a token gesture, but as a strategic necessity.