By Ismail Auwal
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has resolved to consistently focus on prioritizing the needs of its stakeholders in formulating policies, programmes and regulatory instruments that will further boast developmental regulatory roles for a sustainable digital economy.
The agency also emphasized a bottom-up approach as a modified method for its stakeholders’ engagement going forward, and increase private sector contribution in the formulation of standards, guidelines, and frameworks.
Speaking at the event, the head of the management team and Director General/CEO of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, stated the need to reshape the Agency’s future with collective leadership and individual accountability.
He urged heads of departments and units to always work with their team rather than in silos for the best idea to emerge.
He said he had done a lot in democratizing the leadership by giving free hands for individuals to perform their tasks using their ideas and innovations, which for him is the only way to train and duplicate leadership such that everyone takes responsibility for their actions and decisions, adding that part of their role as management staff of the Agency is to enable subordinates to gain perspective and content as well as to think and behave rightly.
“NITDA is winning today no doubt, as we are among the top Agencies in the country but that is not enough, we need to shape our tomorrow. If we think we are winning today and we are comfortable, tomorrow we would be forgotten because what helped us to win today will not help us win tomorrow,” said Inuwa.
Discussion at the retreat centered on the need to develop collective leadership skills and strategically position the Agency to consolidate on the present wins for a better tomorrow, and continuous dedication to the implementation of the Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2021-2024), developed two years ago, was extensively discussed at the retreat.
The two-day management retreat with the theme “Connecting the dots for an Accelerated Digital Future” had resource personnel that addressed the management staff on “re-imagining NITDA’s role in Achieving a Sustainable Digital Economy in Nigeria”.
In his presentation, the president of ISPON, Chineneye Mba-Uzokwu, admitted that the interactions he had with the management have further earned the agency his loyalty and respect being the first time he will come in contact with a public institution that operates with a private organization’s mindset.
