The National Information Technology Development Agency is pushing for stronger inter-agency collaboration to improve transparency and efficiency in public sector IT projects.
In a recent round of visits, NITDA’s Director General, Kashifu Abdullahi, engaged the Accountant General of the Federation, the Office of the Auditor General, and the Bureau of Public Procurement.
The goal is to fully tap into the massive revenue potential of IT project clearance across ministries, departments, and agencies.
Abdullahi stressed that the success of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on digital transformation depends heavily on joint efforts.
“And we need to explore how we can strengthen our partnerships and collaborations in line with the President’s agenda,” he said.
He pointed out that over half of government IT projects collapse due to poor planning and misplaced priorities.
“56 percent of IT projects failed to deliver on what was promised because we go for the latest technology, and failure to design before building the technology and lack of consideration for the business value proposition we are trying to deliver with the projects,” he stated.
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Abdullahi warned that fragmented approaches will continue to hinder digital service delivery if agencies fail to coordinate.
“We are building a digitised government service, and the government is one. We need to work together, work harmoniously, the same way an IT system works to deliver these services. For us to achieve this, we need to be more intentional in the way we design and implement. And if we continue to design and implement in silos, they will never work together.”
In his response, BPP Director General, Adebowale Adedokun, backed the move, calling for a complete overhaul of how IT projects are proposed and approved.
“It is disheartening that organisations misuse IT projects to syphon public funds resources that could otherwise be channelled towards impactful initiatives that can transform the country.”
He said the introduction of clear, enforceable guidelines is long overdue.
“But with this new guideline our decision should pave the way for the development of the IT sector of the country.”