The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced the creation of an Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI). The agency said the new Office emerged after the successful merger of two of its subsidiaries.
According to a statement signed by NITDA’s Head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations, Mrs. Hadiza Umar, the Agency in its effort to implement the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) and to streamline its operation to serve stakeholders more efficiently, merged two (2) of its former Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), the Office for ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIIE) and the Office for Nigerian Content Development in ICT (ONC), to create a more robust and functional subsidiary.
The ONC was established as a strategic vehicle to drive the implementation of the Nigerian Content Program and monitor compliance with the Regulatory Guidelines for Nigerian Content Development in ICT, issued in December 2013 and updated in August 2019, while the OIIE was positioned to work with stakeholders to analyse and evaluate their current ecosystems, build bridges between stakeholders to arrive at shared agendas and collectively design and implement strategic interventions (policies and programs) which are based on best practices to bolster the growth of innovation and entrepreneurship in Nigeria.
NITDA noted that both subsidiaries had a mandate to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the Nigerian digital ecosystem, as well as to create the necessary people resources and capacity.
“ONC and OIIE collaborated with important stakeholders in the ecosystem to achieve this goal. However, the problem was that many of these activities were cross-pollinated, became redundant, and lacked the necessary cross-subsidiary collaboration. Furthermore, it led to duplication of work, re-invention of the wheel, and poor use of resources.
“As a result, the Management of NITDA in its effort to streamline its activities, promote efficiency and effective use of resources decided on the establishment of a single body capable of directing the activities of both subsidiaries as one,” the agency stated.
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