Nigeria will partner with India to drive digital economy growth

Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) met with India’s National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) in a strategic move to drive the digital economy of both countries.

The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, met with M.M. Tripathi, the Director-General of India’s National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. The meeting was aimed at fostering a deeper understanding of the Indian digital economy and exploring avenues for knowledge sharing and collaboration. The discussions covered topics ranging from digital skills development to cybersecurity and innovation.

According to a statement seen by TechCabal, Inuwa—who represented Nigeria’s minister of communications, innovation, and digital economy, Bosun Tijani—underscored the importance of leveraging India’s vast expertise in digital technologies to bolster Nigeria’s digital economy. In his campaign manifesto, President Bola Tinubu promised to create one million digital jobs for Nigerians in the first two years of his government. Nigeria hopes that borrowing from India’s playbook will help achieve this goal.

Leaders from both Nigeria and India emphasised that this partnership is not only about bilateral cooperation but also about contributing to the broader global digital ecosystem. The thinking is that by joining forces, the two countries can accelerate their respective digital transformations while also playing a more influential role in shaping the global tech space.

The Nigerian delegation also paid a working visit to the headquarters of the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM). Inuwa spoke about the government’s initiatives to support tech innovation and foster a vibrant startup ecosystem in Nigeria and the need for international partnerships to accelerate Nigeria’s progress in the digital space.

Shivendra Singh, vice president, global trade development, who received the Nigerian delegation, acknowledged Nigeria’s growing influence in Africa’s tech ecosystem and expressed a willingness to facilitate collaboration and knowledge exchange between Nigerian and Indian tech companies. Both countries will be building an execution plan on the identified areas of cooperation, which include skills development, technology transfer, and business partnership.

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