NITDA Seeks Exploration Of Civic Tech Solutions To Quell Electoral Challenges
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa has said there was need to explore innovative civic tech solutions to address persistent concerns of vote buying, voter apathy and electoral violence.
The DG made this known on Tuesday at the grand finale of the 2022 CivicTech Hackathon event in Abuja.
Inuwa who was represented by the Director, National Centre for Artificial intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), Engr. Ya’u Garba, encouraged the finalists of 2022 Yvote Naija Civic Tech Hackathon to channel their ingenuity into developing innovative solutions that will strengthen citizens’ participation in the electoral process and help deepen Nigeria’s democratic experience.
He said, “as the 2023 general elections approach, the importance of this Civic Tech Hackathon cannot be over emphasized because citizens’ participation in the electoral process is an indispensable pillar of democracy and good governance.
“Participation mechanisms provide the government with regular feedback for developing policies and designing decisions processes that promote democratic ethos and with our general elections around the corner, Nigeria needs programmes like this Civic Tech Hackathon to help bolster inclusive and accountable decision-making, equitable civic participation and voice, effective public service delivery and government responsibility”, he said.
According to him, the outcome of the grand finale would further bring to fore, the value that technology brings to the electoral process.
He however, stressed that most electoral management bodies around the world were adopting new technologies like Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing amongst others, to improve the different stages of their electoral process, before, during, and after the elections.
“Digital technology has been deployed across the process from voter registration, voter accreditation, the casting of a ballot, collation/counting of votes, transmission, and publication of the results. This has resulted in increased participation among voters and made elections more inclusive for voters across everysegment of the population, especially people living with disabilities.
“Other applications of digital technologies also include the compilation of voter lists, demarcation of electoral boundaries, and conducting voter education campaigns”, he said.
While saluting the courage and determination of the Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI), Yvote Naija, and Christian Aid for the initiative to discover lasting solutions to prevailing challenges in the electoral system and ensure the active participation of Nigerians in the process, Inuwa expressed optimism that at the end of the event, there shall be emergence of innovative civic-tech solutions to eliminate the irregularities and fraudulent practices that have been the bane of Nigeria’s electoral processes.
He added that NITDA was committed to entrenching technology and innovation as critical tools for the successful implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), and the Agency’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (2021 – 2024) toward growing the nation’s prosperity.
“Through the continued support of the HonourableMinister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), the Agency has initiated and organized numerous hackathons and competitions to support more indigenous innovators and entrepreneurs to develop innovative solutions for solving our local problems.
“Thus, it has been using these programmes as platforms to encourage talented young Nigerians to showcase their innovative ideas and solutions”, Inuwa stressed.
He further notified the audience that NITDA has taken strides to roll out several programmes and initiatives in partnership with international and local agencies and development organizations to foster creative and innovative ideas within Nigeria’s teeming youth.
“Such programmes include the Bridge to MassChallenge Nigeria program, which is a sponsored collaboration between NITDA and MassChallenge (a global network of zero-equity startup accelerators based in the US), and iHatchincubation program which is a partnership with Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA).”
“We have equally launched the FabLab, first of its kind in Nigeria, within the National Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) to provide the required support and facilities for our teeming innovators to be able to prototype and commercialise their ideas.
“The Nigerian Government remains relentless in its commitment to sustaining the enabling environment to entrench innovation hence NITDA established two key subsidiaries – the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI) and the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) through which the Agency implements programmes and initiatives to inspire innovation among the youth while also strengthening the ecosystem”.
Inuwa explained that the subsidiaries are adapting activities to focus on strengthening the innovation ecosystem through collaboration, supporting innovation by promoting the adoption of emerging technologies for sustainable development, digital job creation, and promoting indigenous content development.
He congratulated the finalists for having come thus far in the hackathon and assured that NITDA alongside its subsidiaries and the overwhelming support Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, is ready, willing, and able to work with like-minded organisations to expand the frontiers of result-oriented digital solutions for good governance and national development.
Earlier, the Executive Director of Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative, Olasupo Abideen in his welcome address noted that at the end of the pitch, the team with the most promising solution will be awarded 2 million naira to execute their proposed solution.
The cash prizes, Abideen said, would be disbursed at every project milestone in order to ensure the funds are utilized effectively.
