NITDA Trains 53,000 Civil Servants, Pushes AI-Ready Public Service

"The success of government reforms and artificial intelligence adoption depends largely on the digital capacity of public servants." Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General NITDA. 

.... "Technology alone cannot transform institutions. Real transformation happens when people acquire the right digital skills to rethink processes, improve productivity and deliver better outcomes."

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has intensified efforts to build a digitally skilled public service, revealing that more than 53,000 federal civil servants have been trained as part of Nigeria's drive towards an AI-ready workforce.

Speaking at a Digital Skills Masterclass organised by NITDA in partnership with Meta for selected officers from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said the success of government reforms and artificial intelligence adoption depends largely on the digital capacity of public servants.

Represented by the Director of Digital Development Services, Olawumi Dejo, Inuwa said the agency developed the National Digital Literacy Framework (NDLF) to provide a standard roadmap for equipping Nigerians with globally relevant digital skills tailored to local needs.

He explained that the framework focuses on six key competency areas, including digital literacy, data management, content creation, online collaboration, digital safety and problem-solving, all aimed at improving public service delivery and strengthening government institutions.

"Technology alone cannot transform institutions. Real transformation happens when people acquire the right digital skills to rethink processes, improve productivity and deliver better outcomes," he said.

The NITDA boss urged civil servants to embrace continuous learning and share the knowledge gained through a train-the-trainer approach to accelerate digital capacity across government institutions.

He added that the agency, in collaboration with the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, would continue expanding digital learning opportunities to support ongoing reforms and position Nigeria to maximise emerging technologies.

Also speaking, Meta's Public Policy Lead for Anglophone West Africa, Victoria Oloni, reaffirmed the company's commitment to supporting Nigeria's digital transformation agenda through its partnership with NITDA.

Oloni said while government institutions had made significant progress in adopting digital tools, the next phase should focus on comprehensive institutional transformation rather than isolated technology adoption.

She described the masterclass as a platform to equip public servants with practical digital skills needed to improve communication, efficiency and service delivery, stressing that a digitally empowered workforce remains critical to building a more responsive, citizen-centred public service.

This was contained in a report compiled By James Ishaku of the Communication Department of National Information Technology Development Agency NITDA in Abuja