Information technology (IT), as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware."IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and securely retrieve information.
Our world today has changed a great deal with the aid of information technology. Things that were once done manually or by hand have now become computerised, and with computer a task is accomplished by just a single click of a mouse.
Nigeria like most developing countries is a little backward in the utilisation of information technology and as we are aware, information technology is the foundation for any nation’s survival and development.
The significance of IT can be seen from the fact that it has penetrated almost every aspect of our daily lives from business to leisure and even society. Today personal computers, cell phones, fax machines, email and internet have not only become an integral part of our very culture but also play an essential role in our day to day activities.
With the increasing growth in Computers and Telecommunications, the digital gap is still widening between those who have access to and those who have no access to digital devices and services. The Federal Government of Nigeria having recognised IT as a strategic imperative for the national development and taking into cognisance its immense benefits, has resolved to provide considerable national resources for the realisation of the national IT vision. In order to bridge such a gap locally, nationally and internationally, the Federal Government of Nigeria took a gallant stride to address some vital socio-economic issues like reliable infrastructure, skilled human resources, open government and other crucial issues of capacity building thus giving birth to the National Information Technology Development Agency (Nitda) in 2001 to serve as a clearing house for IT development in Nigeria.
In 2007, Nitda became a statutory body through the Nitda Act of 2007 with the primary vision to serve as a catalyst in transforming Nigeria into an information technology driven economy.
Most nations in the world develop national ICT policies with regards to the immense potentials of information technology so as to deter from becoming victims of the digital divide. To achieve this objective with maximum effectiveness, Nitda has implemented the IT policy, it also regulates, monitors, evaluates, and verifies progress on an ongoing basis under the supervision and coordination of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology.
On 17th June, 2009, Nitda came up with Nigeria’s National ICT for Development (ICT4D) Strategy/Plan. In the existing policy, Nitda is to enter into strategic alliance, collaboration and joint venture with the private sector for the actualisation of the IT vision which is to make an Nigeria IT capable country as well as using IT as an engine for sustainable development and global competitiveness.
The national ICT4D Strategic Action Plan was developed within the frame work of realising the Federal Government of Nigeria’s Seven Point Agenda and other socio-economic development programmes which is aimed at positioning Nigeria among the 20 leading economies in the World by the year 2020, thereby deploying ICT to achieve Nigeria’s Millennium Development Goals, Nepad development initiatives and the World Summit on Information Society’s plan of action.
The ICT4D will encourage investment on ICT and the use of ICT as a tool for wide range of applications and infrastructural planning. It will also help to fight illiteracy and improve health care delivery, quality of education, human capital development, national security and law enforcement, agriculture, governance and legislature, electronic government, and private sector partnership.
In its bid to bring information technology to the door steps of all Nigerians, Nitda established 16 Rural Information technology Centres (RITCs) across the country. These RITCs are designed as composite one-stop for information technologies in the grass roots while providing IT education to rural communities, enhancing system penetration and providing internet access.
In 2006, Computers for All Nigerians Initiatives (CANI) was launched. CANI is a government-private sector collaboration aimed at increasing PC penetration in Nigeria, thus creating a more computer-literate workforce. The scheme will make available desktop computers and laptops at prices significantly below the prevailing market prices for all such employees and in addition offer bank financing for the purchase of the PCs which will be repaid at affordable rates over a period of 24 months.
Nitda is also working on the establishment of Software Development Centres in each geo-political zone as well as internet exchange points so as to cut down the cost of bandwidth.
With just seven years left to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, Nigeria needs to effectively and speedily respond to the current global economic recession, climate change, and poverty. This has renewed Government’s interest and engagement in the issue of Capacity Development (under the auspices of Nitda) so as to achieve the internationally agreed and overarching goal of cutting extreme poverty by half by 2015. Capacity Development, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), “is the process through which individuals, organisations, and societies obtain, strengthen, and maintain the capabilities to set and achieve their own development objectives over time”.
From the foregoing, it is obvious that the Federal Government of Nigeria through Nitda is leaving no leaf unturned in implementing its vision of creating an ICT revolution aimed at positioning Nigeria as the foremost ICT territory in Africa and also be among the 20 countries of the world to be reckoned with in terms of development fostered by ICT capacity building and utilisation by the year 2020.

Hadiza Umar is of Corporate Affairs unit.
National Information Technology Development Agency