TheCable

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) says it has saved the sum of N22.45 billion through the clearance of information technology (IT) projects of various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).

Kashifu Abdullahi, director-general of NITDA, made this known at a media briefing to commemorate the agency’s 20th anniversary in Abuja on Monday.

NITDA, as the clearing house of IT projects in Nigeria, has been mandated to clear all IT projects in line with the policy objectives of the federal government to maximise transparency and accountability in carrying out IT projects by public institutions.

Consequently, the federal government issued a circular No SGF/6/S.19/T/65 of 18th April, 2006, directing all public institutions planning to embark on any IT project to obtain clearance from NITDA.

Abdullahi noted that the enforcement of the policy started in December 2016 and it has helped to curb excess spendings on IT projects in public institutions.

“Some of the regulatory instruments were operational before their release. The enforcement of the IT clearance process of NITDA, for example, started in December 2016,” he said.

“In addition to the value addition to IT project delivery, the IT clearance has saved over N22.45bn for the federal government.”

With the release of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR), the NITDA DG said the agency has created a new industry, stimulated new business models, and empowered thousands of Nigerians through capacity building and skills development.

“We licensed 72 data protection compliance organisations (DPCOs), created over 2,686 new jobs roles in the industry, developed a new data protection sector valued at around 2.2 billion naira,” he added.

“The agency has also successfully investigated and issued data breach fines to many organisations, including public institution. More importantly, other countries are looking up to the agency for guidance on data protection regulation.”