Director-General/CEO of the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA
Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General/CEO of the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, is a versatile Information Technology (IT) expert and transformational leader with experience that cuts across the private and public sectors. Mr Inuwa has bagged nearly two decades of corporate experience. He has applied himself and excelled in several positions with proven capacity, including managerial and leadership roles. His key competencies cuts across IT operations, growth management, business transformation, solution architecture, tech policy development and administration.
As a thoroughbred IT expert, Mr Inuwa is the first Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert, CCIE in Nigeria’s public sector. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi. He receives several executive certifications in leadership, innovation, networking, and solutions design from top-notch universities, including Harvard University, University of Cambridge, and Oxford University. He is also an alumnus of the prestigious IMD Business School, Switzerland, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management.
He started his professional career at Galaxy Backbone Ltd in 2006 as a network engineer, and in 2014 he joined the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a Technology Architect. He then joined NITDA in 2017 as the Technical Assistant to the then Director-General.
On 20th August 2019, in recognition of his astute and focused leadership, Mr Inuwa was appointed the Director-General of NITDA by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR. Thus far, he has placed NITDA on the global regulatory and digital economy map and has implemented various strategic initiatives making indelible impacts on all Nigerians.
With Mr Inuwa’s determination to expand and grow Nigeria’s digital economy, In April 2021, he launched the NITDA Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2021 – 2024). SRAP provides direction, ensures the attainment of the digital economy’s gains, and affords several opportunities for Nigeria’s teeming youths.
In less than three years, Mr Inuwa, through the IT Project Clearance initiative, has cleared 310 unique IT Projects of 146 MDAs, with a total amount of 1.2 Trillion Naira. This has helped save the Federal Government of Nigeria more than 35 Billion Naira. Additionally, as part of his effort to sustain digital literacy and skills, he has trained more than 500,000 Nigerians across various walks of life. This, amongst others, has undoubtedly changed the lives of ordinary citizens and created wealth for the nation.