Niger targets strategic partnerships to boost digital economy

The Director-General of the Niger State Information Technology and Digital Economy Agency (NSITDEA), Suleiman Isah, says the agency will sustain strategic partnerships to strengthen the state’s digital economy.

Mr Isah stated this in an interview in Minna on Monday.

He said building a robust digital economy required significant investment, adding that the government alone could not provide the necessary resources.

According to him, sustained collaboration is critical to achieving the agency’s mandate and accelerating digital transformation in the state.

The director-general identified eight key partnership areas as infrastructure, digital skills and talent development, innovation, startups and the private sector, and collaboration with federal agencies.

Others, he said, include research and emerging technologies, cybersecurity and data protection, development partners and donors, and private capital partnerships.

He said the partnerships would enhance broadband expansion, cloud infrastructure, digital identity, cybersecurity, digital skills development, innovation, and public-sector automation.

Mr Isah commended Governor Umaru Bago for establishing NSITDEA to drive information technology and the digital economy in the state, noting that these functions had previously been handled by a ministry.

He said the agency’s establishment had provided a legal framework that would enhance institutional stability, improve service delivery, strengthen accountability and ensure greater operational flexibility.

The director-general expressed confidence that under his leadership, NSITDEA would become a model for other sub-national governments in digital transformation. 

(NAN)