NITDA targets 70% digital literacy by 2027

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has inaugurated the National Digital Literacy Working Group (NDLWG) to provide technical oversight and strategic direction for the implementation of Nigeria’s Digital Literacy Framework. Speaking at the Digital Literacy Stakeholders Workshop in Abuja, NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Abdullahi, said that Nigeria’s digital literacy rate has now reached 50%, a […]

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has inaugurated the National Digital Literacy Working Group (NDLWG) to provide technical oversight and strategic direction for the implementation of Nigeria’s Digital Literacy Framework.

Speaking at the Digital Literacy Stakeholders Workshop in Abuja, NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Abdullahi, said that Nigeria’s digital literacy rate has now reached 50%, a significant increase from 44% in 2021 based on World Bank assessments.

The newly formed committee, chaired by the President of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), includes representatives from across the digital literacy ecosystem and is tasked with driving a national campaign to train 30m Nigerians and raise digital literacy to 70% by 2027.

The 2024 update was derived through national data extrapolation.

To accelerate progress, Abdullahi said that the Federal Government plans to introduce digital literacy as a formal subject in schools starting next year.

He noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has mandated NITDA to ensure that all Nigerians are digitally literate by the target date of 2027.

“By 2027, we aim to reach 70% digital literacy to equip Nigerians with core competencies, from safe internet usage to basic troubleshooting and content creation,” he stated.

He said that a key component of the initiative is the Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL) program, under which NITDA will deploy 80 trained National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in each state as digital literacy champions.

“Each corps member will train 60 citizens per month, reaching 600 people per state in 10 months. Through partnerships with NYSC, state governments, and private sector stakeholders, NITDA aims to scale digital skills training across all 774 local government areas, ensuring grassroots access to foundational digital tools.

“This aligns with Nigeria’s national priorities focused on accelerating economic diversification through industrialization, digitization, and innovation,” Abdullahi said.

The two-day workshop, themed “Building Sustainable Partnerships and Pathways Towards Achieving 95% Digital Literacy by 2030”, brought together key stakeholders from government, academia, civil society, and the private sector to align efforts and reinforce commitment to the National Digital Literacy Framework (NDLF).

In the communique of the workshop, participants resolved to institutionalize the programme as an annual event for progress tracking and policy alignment.

They also committed to supporting open data sharing via a centralized NITDA platform and convening regular follow-up meetings to review outcomes and refine strategies.

The communiqué also noted the need to align all digital literacy efforts under one national strategy (the National Digital Literacy Strategy Framework) released in 2023, to avoid duplication and the urgent need for a common data system that tracks who is being trained, where, and with what outcomes among others.