NITDA, SATH Foundation Unveil Tech Outlook to Unlock Nigeria’s Digital Investment

"The initiative is designed to provide evidence-based insights into Nigeria’s technology landscape, identify gaps in digital adoption and unlock opportunities for innovation, as the country seeks to build a globally competitive technology ecosystem." Inuwa.

The collaboration between NITDA and the SATH Foundation is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s technology intelligence, improve understanding of digital adoption across key sectors and create a clearer pathway for investments in emerging technologies.

By Emmanuel Oyoyo-Onotevure

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in collaboration with the SATH Foundation, has unveiled plans to develop the Nigeria Tech Outlook, an initiative aimed at attracting investment, strengthening policymaking and accelerating digital technology adoption across critical sectors of the economy.

The initiative is designed to provide evidence-based insights into Nigeria’s technology landscape, identify gaps in digital adoption and unlock opportunities for innovation, as the country seeks to build a globally competitive technology ecosystem.

The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, disclosed this at the Tech Outlook event in Lagos, where he stressed the need to translate Nigeria’s growing pool of technology talents, innovative ideas and entrepreneurial achievements into sustainable economic gains.

Inuwa noted that although Nigerian innovators and technology companies had recorded significant successes, individual achievements alone were insufficient to establish a globally competitive technology industry.

He said building a robust ecosystem required reliable digital infrastructure, supportive policies, strategic investments and stronger collaboration among government, industry players, investors and innovators.

According to him, the Nigeria Tech Outlook would provide stakeholders with credible information on technology access, adoption and its contribution to productivity across different sectors of the economy.

The first edition of the report will focus on five critical sectors: financial services, telecommunications, commerce and trade, government services, and healthcare.

Highlighting the importance of research in identifying investment opportunities, Inuwa disclosed that more than 80 per cent of over 2,000 Nigerians surveyed expressed willingness to use telemedicine services, while fewer than 20 per cent had ever accessed such services.

He said the findings demonstrated the opportunities available to investors and innovators to develop solutions that address unmet needs, particularly in sectors where technology adoption remained low despite significant public interest.

The NITDA chief explained that evidence of this nature would enable investors to identify underserved markets, encourage technology companies to develop relevant solutions and help policymakers address barriers preventing wider adoption of digital services.

He added that the initiative would examine emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, as well as cybersecurity, data privacy, digital trust and governance, cloud computing and digital infrastructure.

These areas, he said, would provide a basis for assessing Nigeria’s technological capabilities and identifying practical measures to expand digital adoption across critical sectors.

Inuwa emphasised that technology policies and regulations must be informed by research, market realities and industry experience rather than assumptions.

He therefore urged industry leaders to contribute their expertise to reviewing the report’s findings and identifying interventions capable of stimulating investment, promoting innovation and accelerating economic growth.

The initiative is expected to provide government with reliable data for evidence-based policymaking, businesses with insights into technology adoption gaps, investors with information to guide investment decisions and innovators with opportunities to develop homegrown solutions to national challenges.

The first edition of the Nigeria Tech Outlook is scheduled to be launched at the Digital Nigeria International Conference.

Speaking on the initiative, the Founder and Chairman of the SATH Foundation, Collins Onuegbu, said technology had become central to Nigeria’s economic and social development, transforming how people work, trade, communicate, learn and access public services.

Onuegbu noted that digital innovation was reshaping business operations, government engagement, security, productivity and national competitiveness, making a comprehensive assessment of the country’s technology landscape increasingly important.

He explained that conducting the assessment annually would create institutional memory, allowing stakeholders to track progress, evaluate existing priorities and build a stronger evidence base for decisions concerning Nigeria’s digital future.

According to him, a regular assessment would also help stakeholders understand changes in the technology ecosystem, identify persistent challenges and determine whether existing interventions were delivering the desired results.

The SATH Foundation chairman stressed that the engagement should go beyond speeches to produce meaningful discussions and actionable outcomes capable of advancing technology development, economic growth and national competitiveness.

The collaboration between NITDA and the SATH Foundation is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s technology intelligence, improve understanding of digital adoption across key sectors and create a clearer pathway for investments in emerging technologies.

With reliable data and sustained collaboration among public institutions, private-sector players and technology innovators, the Nigeria Tech Outlook seeks to support the development of an innovation ecosystem capable of delivering homegrown solutions, expanding economic opportunities and enhancing Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global digital economy.