The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has approved five regulatory guidelines to improve service delivery in the sector and boost the nation’s economy.
The approved guidelines were presented to the public at a news conference addressed by Dr Isa Pantami, the Director General of NITDA in Abuja.
The guidelines include:
1.)Nigerian Content Development in Information and Communications,
2.) Nigeria e-Government Inter-operability Framework (Ne-GIF)
3.) Nigeria ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship Vision (NIIEV).
4.) Nigeria Cloud Computing Policy (NCCP) and
5.) Framework and Guidelines for ICT Adoption in Tertiary Institutions.
Pantami, a ministerial nominee, recalled that the agency had on Jan. 25 signed off five regulatory guidelines, adding that the newly approved ones would consolidate the older and ensure the agency remains relevant in regulating the IT industry.
“There are new opportunities emerging in the ICT industry and the maiden guideline was meant to be reviewed after five years.
“We have amended it and through the implementation of this guideline, we were able to develop the local ICT industry better which ensure it made contribution to our Gross Domestic Product.
“The amended guidelines are focused on accelerating the development of indigenous skills, technology transfer, use of indigenous manpower and local manufacturing,” he said.
Pantami, said that with the implementation of the guideline, the patronage of indigenous computers increased from 82,000 in 2013 to 356,000 in 2017.
He noted that the regulatory documents are subsidiary legislations and their violation attracts penalties.
He said that the regulations were all available to the public on the agency’s website – www.nitda.gov.ng.