The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to open governance, transparency and inclusive digital development as the Open Government Partnership (OGP) delegation formally presented the award and certificate Nigeria received at the OGP Global Summit 2025 in Spain to the agency’s management.
Nigeria emerged as the overall global winner in the Digital Governance category, in recognition of its effective use of digital tools and policies to promote government transparency, accountability and citizen engagement. The country also received the Regional Award for Open Digital Governance across Africa and the Middle East, reinforcing Nigeria’s leadership role in advancing open government principles and digital transformation within the region.
The honours were largely attributed to digital governance initiatives spearheaded by NITDA in collaboration with civil society organisations, including Dataphyte, which demonstrated innovative and inclusive approaches to digital governance at the summit.
The OGP Global Summit, held in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, convened over 1,500 government officials, civil society leaders and policymakers from across the world to share experiences, best practices and progress on open government reforms.
Receiving the OGP delegation at NITDA, Inuwa described the awards as a national achievement rather than an institutional one, noting that they reflect the collective efforts of government, civil society and the private sector in strengthening open governance through digital innovation.
According to him, global recognition also comes with greater responsibility to deliver on commitments under the OGP framework.
“This is not just about NITDA; it is a national recognition, and every recognition comes with responsibility,” he said, adding that failure to deliver on agreed commitments could affect Nigeria’s credibility both locally and internationally.
Inuwa linked the achievement to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, highlighting digital transformation, transparency, economic diversification, job creation and efficient public service delivery as key national priorities.
He stressed that the use of digital technologies to deepen openness and accountability aligns with national goals of strengthening institutions, improving governance outcomes and building trust between government and citizens.
Emphasising collaboration, the NITDA boss described the OGP platform as a catalyst for a strong multi-stakeholder approach in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem. He called on civil society organisations, development partners, the private sector and other government institutions to provide sustained technical support and engagement to ensure successful implementation of OGP commitments.
“We need to leverage the OGP platform—your expertise, guidance and support—to help us deliver on these commitments,” he said, noting that a collaborative approach is critical to building a resilient and citizen-focused digital ecosystem.
Inuwa disclosed that NITDA has commenced internal reviews of its OGP commitments and has mandated its representatives to develop a clear execution strategy. He also proposed the establishment of joint work streams with OGP stakeholders to strengthen accountability and track progress.
He further welcomed plans to engage Nigeria’s political leadership, including the Honourable Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, to brief President Tinubu on the achievement, stressing the importance of celebrating milestones to boost morale and demonstrate global recognition of Nigeria’s digital governance efforts.
Earlier, the leader of the OGP delegation, Mr Olusoji Apampa, said the awards were the result of strong collaboration between government and civil society, with NITDA playing a pivotal role in advancing digital governance reforms in Nigeria.
Apampa expressed optimism that the recognitions would further energise stakeholders to deepen ongoing commitments and accelerate the implementation of reforms aimed at strengthening digital governance nationwide.
