The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has called on West African nations to deepen collaboration toward building shared digital infrastructure and governance frameworks that will foster economic integration and self-determination across the sub-region.
Abdullahi made the call on Monday at the second West African Digital Governance Forum (WADGov) held in Abuja, which brought together representatives from 15 West African countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, and host country Nigeria.
The event was jointly organised by the United Nations University Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance, in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and supported by the German Development Agency.
The initiative, now in its second year, aims to foster dialogue among West African nations, promote shared standards, and create a roadmap for regional cooperation in digital governance.
Speaking in his keynote address, Abdullahi said Africa must move beyond mere technological adoption to designing inclusive, sustainable, and citizen-focused digital ecosystems.
He said, “We are grateful to host the second meeting of the West African Digital Governance Forum, a forum established to promote digital cooperation within African countries to develop policies, strategies, and frameworks that will help us build our own digital infrastructure. Because digital today is a lifestyle.
“Our citizens are online, therefore we need to make them online as well, as a government. To make them online is not something that will happen just by accident. We need to design it, we need to be intentional about it, and we need to collaborate in building that to make sure what we are building is sustainable.
“So to achieve that sustainability, it is beyond technology, because technology also is not our goal. Our goal is to use technology to deliver quality services to our citizens, to build trust, and to help our citizens get a delightful experience while consuming government services and other digital offerings in our country. And also, digital doesn’t have boundaries.
“We see solutions built to solve local problems, but they have gone to the global stage. Therefore, as Africa also, as we build solutions, we should build in that mindset. And when it goes beyond boundaries, that means there is a need to have common standards, there is a need to have protocols, there is a need to have policies that will make sure we integrate.”
He stressed that Africa must build “digital bridges” that connect countries and allow seamless exchange of digital services, data, and innovation across borders.
“In Africa, we have many policies that promote cross-border trading, and our people move across borders. But when it comes to digital services, it is easier to consume services in Europe, the US, and other parts of the world than to consume services from our neighbours. Just take, for example, a typical bank transfer; if you are going to do it today, you have to route it through either Europe or the US.
“If you want to make a call, it routes through there. Internet traffic as well. So why can’t we build that digital collaboration within ourselves, so that we can easily exchange services with our neighbours, media, gather, and so on, without travelling all the way to other parts of the world?
“The only way we can achieve this is through collaboration platforms like this. How can we articulate our vision, our strategy together, how can we build infrastructure bridges, digital bridges that can help us to exchange digital services between our neighbours? So we thank the UNUEGov and UNDESA for creating this platform, and GIZ also and other development partners for convening this meeting to see how we can explore, how we can share experiences, how we can work together to build digital public infrastructure for our region.
“So I know many countries are doing a lot in silos, but when we collaborate, when we exchange ideas, when we share experiences, we can easily build systems that can easily integrate and interoperate within our region. So this platform can help us to strengthen and deepen policy implementations, to build standards and protocols that can flow across borders, as well as to build our digital self-determination.”
According to him, achieving that vision requires regional partnerships, common standards, and policies that encourage interoperability and integration among West African nations.
The NITDA boss underscored that digital sovereignty, owning and controlling Africa’s data, was essential to the continent’s future independence and economic resilience.
“Whoever controls your data controls your future,” he said. “The only way for us to control our economy and our destiny is to control our data and build our own digital infrastructure.”
He added that Nigeria is already implementing key initiatives to enhance digital literacy, expand connectivity, and develop homegrown digital skills.
Among these are the National Digital Literacy Framework, which integrates digital studies from kindergarten to tertiary level, and the Three Million Technical Talent programme, designed to make Nigeria a “global talent factory.”
He further highlighted ongoing infrastructure projects such as Project Bridge, which aims to connect all Nigerians through a national fibre optic network and local cloud infrastructure.
Also speaking at the event, Arpine Korekyan, Governance and Public Administration Officer at UN DESA, commended Africa’s progress in adopting digital technologies but cautioned that challenges such as affordability, infrastructure gaps, and policy fragmentation must be addressed.
She observed that while Africa’s E-Government Development Index continues to improve, the continent still lags behind global averages in areas like online service delivery and citizen engagement.
“Digital transformation must remain human-centred, empowering people, enhancing participation, and leaving no one behind,” Korekyan said. “With strong political will and sustained investment, Africa can accelerate digital transformation and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”
A GIZ representative, Eva Scholtes, described the West African Digital Governance Forum as a critical platform for building sustainable partnerships.
She said, “This transformation is unstoppable, but without good governance, it risks deepening inequalities. That’s why we’re committed to supporting this community of practitioners to ensure inclusive and sustainable transformation.”
The Director of UNU-EGOV, Prof. Delfina Soares, said the forum forms part of a broader Global Forum on Digital Governance Initiative, which links regional platforms across Africa and Asia to share knowledge and coordinate policy innovation.
“The question before us is not merely how to digitalise government, but how to govern digitalisation,” she said. “West Africa must ensure that technology serves people, builds trust, and promotes prosperity for all.”
The West African Digital Governance Forum was launched in 2023 as a regional platform for cooperation on digital governance, policy harmonisation, and knowledge sharing among West African states.
It is part of a wider United Nations initiative to promote policy-driven electronic governance and create regional frameworks for inclusive digital transformation.
This year’s meeting will focus on critical themes such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data sovereignty, infrastructure development, and digital inclusion, key areas seen as essential to Africa’s long-term digital and economic resilience.
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