E-Business
NITDA Can Finance Nigeria’s Annual Budget- Reps
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) can finance the country’s annual budget if given the necessary environment, according to Wole Oke, chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts.
Oke who expressed optimism during the investigative hearing into the queries issued by the office of the Auditor General of the Federation (oAuGF) against NITDA, frowned at the flagrant abuse of the extant financial regulations.
He requested for a brief on the NITDA mandate and progress made so far with the view to the proposed relevant amendment to the NITDA Establishment Act for the smooth running of the agency.
Oke said “Nigerians want to know what you have done with the tax-payers’ money. Nigerians are watching you free of charge; we are not charging you for that. So it’s good PR for you to also market what NITDA is doing.
“People hear about NITDA, NITDA they don’t even know what you stand for. Not many people are aware until a few days, I saw your DG on Channel, some of us don’t even know your mandate. But this is a window for you to showcase what you also do. For Nigerians to also appreciate what you’re doing. The law setting you up is here. And from the information I gathered is that you can actively finance Nigeria’s budget if you’re given the wherewithal.
“The information I gathered is that NITDA alone can finance Nigeria’s budget if they are given the wherewithal, they are supported, they are given the environment to operate that we don’t even need to go borrowing.
“So these are the gains we are taking away. We did not just bring you here. We are very civil here, you elected us, we don’t harass, we don’t intimidate but we work as citizens of this country, and through the medium, you are able to render an account to Nigerians.
“Where you err, we will show Nigerians. Nigerians will know. If you give a contract to any contractor and he or she fails to perform, we will expose the person, okay, so we are not here to witch-hunt anybody. So please calm down and feel free,” Hon. Oke urged.
While responding, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director general, NITDA, explained that before the advent of NITDA, ICT contributed less than 1% of the GDP, but today contributes more than 14% to the GDP, adding that in 2016 NITDA came up with strategic roadmap framework to transform the ICT sector in line with Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).
He argued that the Agency has done so much in terms of “what people are doing with IT and making money. Like in NITDA we are not a revenue-generating organization, we just get levy from certain categories of companies so the money we are getting is small.
“What the chairman said if we can get what we need we can fund Nigeria’s budget. Let me give you an example of the Netherlands. Netherland is not as big as Kano and Jigawa States combined together, in terms of landmass and population but Netherland is using information technology for agriculture.
“What Netherland generated from agriculture export in 2019 was $106 billion while Nigeria generated only six-point something billion dollars from oil and gas.
“So what the chairman was saying is that if we can annex the powers of ICT, we don’t need to bother about any other thing because almost everything we do today is powered by ICT. So we can use ICT to boost our agriculture, our commerce and trading, almost everything.”
He noted that while other sectors of the world economy lost so much during the pandemic, those who invested in ICT were insulated, and “making money. One person, the owner of Amazon made almost $36.2 billion between the middle of March and June.”
The NITDA helmsman explained that the agency generated funds from the 1% levy from national information technology development fund (NITDeF) paid by the IT companies operating in the country and collected by Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
While responding to question on the alleged exclusion of Sokoto and Zamfara states from the 218 personnel employed in 2018, which the lawmakers argued was in breach of federal character policy, Mr. Inuwa however noted that 3 people were employed from Sokoto State in 2019.
On his part, Hon. Emmanuel Akpan requested for details of how NITDA contributes over 14% to Nigeria’s GDP during the status of an inquiry being initiated by the Committee.
“It will be important for this Committee and for Nigerians to know how much that translate to in naira and kobo that has come into the coffers of the Nigerian government vis-a-vis what you have spent that could have helped in advancing” the funding of the annual budget.
While responding to questions, Mrs. Titilayo Olusanya, NITDA deputy director Finance, explained that both appropriation and IGR for the year 2014 to 2018; audited account and management accounts as well as budget performance for the year under review were submitted for the Committee’s consideration.
She explained that the evidence for the submission of the audited accounts for 2014 to 2018 as well as evidence of remitted of internally generated revenues/operating surplus were part of the documents submitted to the Committee.
While speaking, representatives of office of the Auditor General of the Federation confirmed that the agency had submitted all relevant documents in line with extant financial regulations.
On his part, Hon. Mark Gbillah asked whether there was any value added to the agency sequel to the recruitment of the personnel.
However, while expressing his view, Hon. Oke argued that: “in our national life, sometimes a public organisation we may not relate employment generation to profitability; rather we may relate that to productivity, growth and development. And it was one of the tools that our late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo deployed in South West.”
Meanwhile, at the investigative hearing held on Monday, Hon. Oke directed the Clerk of the Committee to issue a fresh letter to Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to cause appearance over the non-remittance of audit report since 2015 to 2019.
Dr Adebowale Adedokun, director-general, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), has reaffirmed the bureau’s commitment to data protection in Nigeria.
He disclosed this in a statement at the weekend by Zira Nagga, head of Public Relations, BPP, following a courtesy visit by a delegation from the National Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
Adedokun stressed that data protection is vital to Nigeria’s economy and development, particularly in areas such as demography, health, education, and other key sectors.
He emphasised that no country should leave its data unprotected, as it plays a crucial role in future planning and national development.
“Data governs the world. It is essential to technological progress and must be protected for a country or business to be taken seriously,” he said.
Adedokun described the visit, aimed at fostering partnership on data policy implementation and protection, as timely and aligned with national goals.
He said the BPP would collaborate closely with the NDPC to boost data development, capacity building, and enhance the procurement system.
“The BPP will support compliance as part of the ‘Nigeria First’ Policy, although it is not a core procurement eligibility requirement,” he explained.
He suggested a hybrid training model to help build strong capacity in data protection, privacy awareness, and policy understanding.
According to him, a dynamic training approach will reduce logistics costs and improve public confidence in data safety and privacy.
Dr Vincent Olatunji, CEO, and national commissioner, NDPC, praised Adedokun and the BPP for supporting data protection initiatives.
He said the partnership supports President Bola Tinubu’s vision and will strengthen data privacy across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
“The collaboration will create awareness and train BPP staff to ensure a firm grasp of data protection principles and policies,” he stated.
Olatunji said the NDPC would establish a working group to finalise a Memorandum of Understanding beneficial to both institutions.
He added that President Tinubu signed the NDPC into law on 12 June 2023 to uphold citizens’ rights and protect national and business data.
Olatunji also noted that strict legal measures were in place to enforce data protection and ensure full compliance nationwide.
Both agencies agreed to form a team to sign the MoU and focus on capacity building and data management in procurement and beyond.
President Bola Tinubu said that his administration has initiated a project to install fibre optic cables across the country, aimed at enhancing the socio-economic development of Nigeria.
His plans were contained in a speech he delivered at a joint session of the National Assembly in commemoration of Democracy Day on Thursday, June 12.
He said the fibre optic layout is part of other projects being embarked on.
“In addition, we have embarked on an ambitious project to lay fibre optic cables across the nation, a transformative step toward bridging the digital divide and fostering greater connectivity.
“This initiative promises not only to enhance the speed and reliability of internet access but also to revolutionise how businesses operate, how students learn, and how communities stay connected,” Tinubu stated.
He maintained that by extending this critical infrastructure, his government is empowering entrepreneurs, enabling digital education, and providing the tools for our youth to compete in a globalised world.
In a most recent report on Internet connectivity, The ICIR pointed out how Nigeria has faced setbacks in its deployment of fibre optic cables and needs a transformation.
The challenges revolve around vandalism, inadequate coordination between road construction and telecom infrastructure, and varying right-of-way (RoW) charges across states.
Among industry experts, these issues impact network outages, increase repair costs, and hinder broadband expansion efforts.
It has also further threatened the digital economy, leading to slower Internet speeds, dropped calls, and unreliable connectivity among others.
African startups raised more than $345 million across 65 deals in May, more than double the amount raised in the same period of last year, according to a report by Briter, a research and business intelligence firm.
The report disclosed that both the number of deals and participating companies declined, confirming a growing trend of fewer companies raising funds in larger sizes.
It said fintech attracted the highest share of funding in May, accounting for 34 percent of the total, while cleantech followed closely, driven by a debt deal from Sun King. The company raised $80 million (in local currency) to expand clean energy access in Nigeria.
“Equity remains the primary instrument in terms of total value. There’s no doubt about it; in fact, equity deals with disclosed amounts captured more than half of the total funding volume in May.
“However, debt financing is increasingly proving its weight. Although it accounted for only 8 percent of all deals, it represented 32 percent of the total funding, highlighting the typically larger size of debt transactions. With the rise of specialised vehicles targeting early-stage businesses, debt is becoming an increasingly important part of Africa’s innovation funding landscape,” it said.
Briter’s report added that grants continued to play a vital role in early-stage support, especially in the education technology (EdTech) sector. The Mastercard Foundation led the pack in grant activity, funding a new cohort of EdTech innovators in Nigeria and Kenya. Each selected startup is set to receive $100,000 in grant funding, in addition to mentorship and business development support.
Multilaterals also made a strong showing in May, it said. The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), a World Bank Group member, issued a $179.6 million guarantee to CleanTech firm KOKO Networks. The support will help scale its clean energy solutions across Kenya.
“This deal not only demonstrates growing international confidence in African climate ventures but also signals a promising pathway for other asset-intensive startups in clean cooking, agriculture, and renewable energy,” the report said.
From a geographic perspective, Egypt emerged as the continent’s fundraising powerhouse for the month, contributing 51 percent of all funding raised. The country recorded 12 deals across equity, debt, and bond instruments. Notably, FinTech platform MNT-Halan raised $50 million through a bond issuance, further illustrating the diversification of capital-raising mechanisms in the region.
Outside Egypt, funding was distributed across Africa’s three other key markets, which are Egypt, Nigeria, and Kenya, with limited activity recorded in countries such as Ghana, Tunisia, Morocco, and Uganda, each registering between one and three deals.
In terms of exits, the African tech landscape continues to mature. Three companies—Baobab+, Qardy, and Shopa—were acquired in May, bringing the total number of exits this year to 22. This already surpasses last year’s count for the same period. Qardy was acquired by Catalyst Partners Middle East (CPME) in a disclosed deal valued at $23 million, the report added.
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