FG seeks broadband acceleration in underserved regions

  The Federal Government has called for the acceleration of broadband, fibre-optic networks and rural connectivity programmes in underserved regions of the country. The Director-General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, made the call on Thursday in Abuja in his keynote at the 2025 ITGOV Conference. Inuwa spoke on the theme: […]

 

The Federal Government has called for the acceleration of broadband, fibre-optic networks and rural connectivity programmes in underserved regions of the country.

The Director-General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, made the call on Thursday in Abuja in his keynote at the 2025 ITGOV Conference.

Inuwa spoke on the theme: ‘Advancing Government Operations Through Digital Transformation’, at the conference organised by Tranter IT and ManageEngine.

Abdullahi, represented by his Technical Assistant, Dr. Femi Adeluyi, said the world was witnessing a digital revolution that was redefining the way that governments function.

He also said that the Nigerian government had embarked on a journey to leverage digital transformation to drive development and growth.

“Governments are waking up to a powerful realisation that digital transformation is not a luxury but a necessity. According to a 2023 report by the United Nations e-government Survey, over 70 per cent of countries globally have improved their digital government development index, with leading examples from Estonia, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.

“These governments are not just digitising services, they are transforming operations. They are building citizen-centric platforms, leveraging data for better policy decisions and ensuring that services are inclusive, accessible, and resilient,” he said.

He said the ministry and NITDA were driving reforms aligned with the president’s vision and that the Digital Transformation Working Group (DTWG) had worked with MDAs across sectors to develop and implement its plans, focused on automation, service delivery, cloud adoption, and data-driven governance.

Abdullahi said that digital transformation was not just about technology but rethinking and building a government that listens, responds and evolves with its citizens.

Earlier, Executive Director of the Tranter Group of Companies, Melanie Ayoola, noted the importance of digital solutions in improving government operations.

Ayoola said that the ManageEngine, a global IT automation suite of solutions, had been adopted by 50 per cent of the largest enterprise companies in Nigeria.

She also said that the solution would help manage tickets, events and endpoints, boosting productivity and reducing downtime.

She said that in the government space, ManageEngine could help to manage thousands of workers, ensuring maximum productivity and efficient service delivery.

She said, “This will boost productivity by responding quickly to any issues or challenges that may come up to prevent an employee from working or having maximum productivity. So in a government space where you have thousands of workers, 12,000, 15,000 and more, you can imagine having a percentage of those employees not working at full capacity because their tool is down.

“If you have little issues on 30 per cent of your workforce, you have people working at 50 per cent capacity, and your output starts to decline as an organisation. Not only will you have low productivity if you do not utilise some of these IT automation solutions, but you can affect the services to the public.”

The Director General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Dr. Dasuki Arabi, on his part, urged the federal and state governments to continue moving in lockstep-aligning priorities.

Arabi, represented by Director of Strategy Innovation Research, BPRS, Sulola Johnson, said that governments should keep sharing data and coordinating systems to deliver seamless services to Nigerians, regardless of geography.

He said that BPRS was committed to training 500,000 public servants in digital literacy and emerging technologies, equipping them to manage and sustain these technologies for long-term impact.

“In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, IT automation has become not just a tool, but a strategic imperative for modern governance. From eliminating bureaucratic bottlenecks to improving service delivery and accountability, automation is at the very heart of the transformation journey we must all embark upon,” he said.

Also, Stranivasan Rajasekar, Regional head, West Africa, ManageEngine, said that the solution offered comprehensive solutions for public and private sector organisations of all sizes.

Rajasekar said that it would empower such organisations to secure, simplify and optimise their IT infrastructure.

“The company offers a wide range of solutions, including Identity and Access Management, Enterprise Service Management, Endpoint Management and Security, IT Operations Management, Security Information and Event Management.

“It also offers advanced IT Analytics, Low-code App Development, Cloud Solutions for Enterprise IT, Privileged Access Management, and Remote Work Management,” he stated.