NITDA, NBC Align On Digital Transformation, Media Regulation
By Stella Enenche, Abuja
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) have disclosed their partnership aimed at strengthening digital transformation and regulatory frameworks across Nigeria’s media and technology sectors.
This development emerged when the Director General of NITDA, Mr Kashifu Inuwa, Tuesday ,received the Director General of the NBC, Mr Charles Ebuebu, on a courtesy visit in Abuja.
Speaking during the meeting, Mr Inuwa reaffirmed NITDA’s commitment to collaborative governance, noting that digital transformation and regulation are inseparable in Nigeria’s fast-evolving digital ecosystem.
He described digital transformation as a continuous process rather than a one-off project, requiring constant improvement, periodic target-setting, and institutional adaptability.
According to him, NITDA deliberately embarked on a transformational journey to reposition itself from a traditional civil service organisation to a high-velocity, smart public sector institution.
“More than 70 to 80 per cent of our staff came from the mainstream public service, and we understand the prevailing mindset. We therefore made a conscious decision to change the narrative by focusing on people, resetting mindsets, building capacity, and fostering a culture that supports innovation and accountability,” he said.
Mr Inuwa noted that NITDA’s transformation strategy was built on three core pillars people, processes, and technology emphasising that technology alone cannot deliver value without the right people and efficient processes.
He disclosed that the agency undertook a comprehensive cultural reorientation programme, supported by cultural audits and initiatives designed to create psychological safety within the organisation.
This, he said, enabled staff at all levels to freely contribute ideas, challenge existing processes constructively, and collaborate across departments without fear of reprisal.
“Culture is the foundation of any successful strategy. No matter how sound a strategy may be, without the right culture, execution will fail,” the NITDA boss stated.
Providing further insight, he revealed that NITDA adopted an integrated transformation framework covering people, process, culture, content, and technology.
Through this approach, the agency identified and addressed long-standing bureaucratic practices such as rigid command-and-control structures, risk aversion, and overdependence on top-level approvals.
He explained that the reforms led to trust-based delegation, improved inter-departmental collaboration, and significant process optimisation.
The DG added that this optimisation laid the groundwork for automation and the integration of digital tools. On capacity building, he revealed that all NITDA staff have undergone mandatory artificial intelligence (AI) training, reinforcing the agency’s position that AI is a productivity-enhancing tool rather than a replacement for human capital.
He said staff now leverage AI to improve workflows, generate ideas, and transition from manual administrative roles to AI-enabled system administration. .
Mr Inuwa further announced that the agency has developed a comprehensive digital transformation playbook capturing lessons from its reform journey, which it is willing to share with NBC and other government institutions.
To advance collaboration, he proposed areas of partnership including sharing the transformation playbook, providing tailored training and capacity-building programmes, enrolling NBC staff in digital literacy initiatives developed with global technology partners such as Cisco, and offering technical support to modernise regulatory frameworks in line with the evolving digital and media landscape.
Earlier, Mr Ebuebu called for deeper and more institutionalised collaboration between NBC and NITDA, describing such partnership as long overdue given the rapid convergence of media and technology.
He said that while he had engaged with the NITDA DG on several occasions, formal cooperation between both agencies was necessary to effectively address emerging issues in media, technology, data governance, and Nigeria’s digital future.
He stressed that a strategic partnership between NBC and NITDA is critical to effective regulation of the evolving media ecosystem, harnessing technology for content creation and distribution, promoting local media growth, facilitating knowledge transfer, and safeguarding Nigeria’s cultural and national interests.
