By: Lawal Mustapha
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has taken a significant step toward digital inclusion, empowering a new cohort of 50 Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) with essential technology skills. The agency emphasised that digital skills are barrier-free and critical for national development.
The training initiative, conducted in partnership with the Inclusive Friends Association (IFA) and SIMBED, is part of NITDA’s commitment to ensuring that all Nigerians, regardless of physical ability, can actively participate in the burgeoning digital economy.
Mr Oladejo Olawunmi, Director of Special Duties, who represented the NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, spoke at the event, underscoring the strategic nature of the program.
“This programme isn’t charity, it’s strategic empowerment,” Mr. Olawunmi stated. “Persons with Disabilities are not passive beneficiaries of charity; they are active contributors to Nigeria’s digital future.”
Participants received practical digital skills designed to significantly enhance their employability, boost their entrepreneurial potential, and enable them to contribute meaningfully across diverse economic sectors. The initiative challenges outdated perceptions of PWDs, positioning them as innovators, entrepreneurs, and future leaders.
Mr. Olawunmi highlighted that providing the right digital tools transforms learners into productive drivers across various sectors, aligning capacity and contribution with Nigeria’s digital transformation goals. Moreover, the training helps the Federal Government in its 2023-2027 Renewed Hope Agenda that focuses on inclusive growth and provides more opportunities to all citizens.
NITDA’s commitment is to ensure that persons with disabilities are not marginalised in the nation’s pursuit of a tech-driven economy. The agency sends a strong message that no individual should be excluded from accessing digital tools or participating in the digital space. Beyond the training, NITDA expects the beneficiaries to act as “champions and ambassadors of digital inclusion,” sharing their knowledge and inspiring others within their communities. This focus on sustainability and community impact marks a meaningful shift from temporary aid to long-term empowerment, resonating with advocates for digital equality nationwide.
The training program served as more than a mere technical program; it is a declaration of seriousness regarding the desire of Nigeria to have a real, inclusive and sustainable digital economy. The agency is breaking through one of the most entrenched narratives of society by placing Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) as active participants and not passive beneficiaries. This is not a Medicaid check; it is a planned workforce development investment.
When PWDs are sidelined out of the online space, it is a conscious effort to lose talent, creativity, and even a diversity of views. The offered digital tools, such as increasing the employability and entrepreneurial potential, not only make the life of the individual better, but also have a direct effect on the GDP of the nation itself and diversify its economic engine. When this section of the population is empowered, their economic pursuit would be shifted towards dependability on productivity, which is indeed in tandem with the national Renewed Hope Agenda objective of inclusive growth.
Additionally, the focus on beneficiaries becoming champions and ambassadors produces a model of empowerment that is scalable. It transforms the project into a sustainable intervention into a community-based movement towards digital equality.
