…NITDA to recruit 80 Corps members per state for digital inclusion

The Federal Government has set an ambitious target of achieving 95 per cent digital literacy in Nigeria by 2030, with a mid-term benchmark of 70 per cent by 2027.

The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, disclosed this on Tuesday at the Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL) Training Awards Programme in Abuja.

Inuwa explained that the DL4ALL initiative was designed to equip civil servants with essential digital skills to enhance service delivery, efficiency, and good governance. The programme is being implemented in collaboration with the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF).

According to him, 54,377 civil servants have enrolled in the programme, representing nearly 79 per cent participation, while over 40 per cent have successfully completed their courses.

He noted that the programme initially encountered challenges, particularly limited access to official email accounts for civil servants, but said these issues were resolved through coordinated institutional efforts.

To boost participation and completion rates, Inuwa said incentives such as laptop presentations were introduced during the awards ceremony to encourage practical application of acquired digital skills.

“Digital competence enhances professional relevance and contributes to national capacity development beyond the public service,” he stated.

Also speaking, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, described the awards ceremony as an avenue to both recognise outstanding performers and evaluate progress toward building a digitally enabled public service.

“Digital competence has become a strategic requirement for productivity, efficiency and effective governance,” she said.

Walson-Jack disclosed that plans were underway to transition ministries and extra-ministerial departments to paperless operations by December 2025, stressing the need for continuous upskilling of civil servants to meet evolving administrative demands.

She also announced that 35 officers were recognised for exceptional performance under the DL4ALL initiative and urged wider participation across all cadres to strengthen institutional efficiency.