The Federal Government has saved over N22.45bn through the enforcement of the guideline for the clearance of information technology projects in federal public institutions.
Director-General, National
Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Abdullahi, announced this
during the NITDA 20th anniversary press conference in Abuja on Monday.
He said the enforcement of the
guideline, which was one of the regulatory instruments of NITDA, started in
2016, adding that its implementation had helped to address unnecessary
spendings on IT projects in public institutions.
Abdullahi said, “Some of the
regulatory instruments were operational before their release. The enforcement
of the IT Clearance Process of NITDA, for example, started in December 2016.
“In addition to the value
addition to IT project delivery, the IT clearance has saved over N22.45bn for
the Federal Government.”
NITDA as the clearing house of
IT projects in Nigeria is mandated to clear all IT projects in line with the
policy objectives of the Federal Government to maximise transparency and
accountability in carrying out IT projects by public institutions.
Consequently, the Federal
Government issued a Circular No SGF/6/S.19/T/65 of 18th April 2006 directing
that all public institutions planning to embark on any IT project shall obtain
clearance from NITDA.
The agency stated it realised
that over the years, public funds that were spent on IT projects were not
commensurate with the value derived from such projects.
It said the funds had also
failed to evolve a digitally-enabled public service that would advance the
citizens’ yearnings of digital economy, hence the need to strategically
reposition the deployment of IT products and services in public institutions.
NITDA stated that it was
therefore imperative to ensure that maximum value was derived from such huge
investment of public funds, especially at a time when the need for
accountability, transparency, efficiency and effectiveness were eminent.
Abdullahi further noted that
through the release of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation, NITDA had
created a new industry, stimulated new business models, and empowered thousands
of Nigerians through capacity building and skills development.
He said, “We licensed 72 Data
Protection Compliance Organisations, created over 2,686 new jobs roles in the
industry, developed a new data protection sector valued at around N2.2bn.”
The NITDA boss said his agency
had also investigated and issued data breach fines to many organisations,
including public institutions, as other countries were looking up to the agency
for guidance on data protection regulation.
Punchng.com
0 Comments