As Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government move to implement their 2018 budget, especially with regards ICT procurements, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has insisted that only companies registered with it can be engaged for such contracts.
The Agency explained that this falls under its mandate to promote the development of IT in Nigeria and Executive Orders 003 and 005 of the Federal Government of Nigeria for the promotion of local content.
A statement signed by the National Coordinator, Office for Nigerian Content Development in ICT (ONC), Kasim Sodangi Esq., and made available to TechEconomy.ng, he said that NITDA is vigorously implementing and enforcing the Nigerian Content Development Plan in ICT as a sustainable framework for the strategic development of ICT in Nigeria.
It may be recalled that in December 2013, NITDA issued the Guidelines for Nigerian Content Development in ICT as a coherent framework for the development of ICT in Nigeria. The Strategic implementation Plan for Nigerian Content Development established the Office for Nigerian Content Development in ICT (ONC) as Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to coordinate the implementation of the program and supervise compliance with the Guidelines.
According to Sodangi, “The ONC has issued hundreds of notices and has intervened numerous times to ensure the Guidelines are enforced and that indigenously developed IT content is given priority in the procurements of MDAs.
“The ONC under the supervision of NITDA has ensured that data hosted by MDAs outside Nigeria is repatriated to Nigerian Data Centres in line with the provisions of the Guidelines.
“NITDA is also utilizing various instruments within its operations to ensure implementation of its Guidelines”.
The National Coordinator said that the Agency has forged functional partnerships with National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Computer Professional (Registration Council) of Nigeria (CPN) and other regulatory MDAs to ensure implementation of the local content policy of the Federal Government and its Guidelines on Nigerian Content.
“The Agency has directed strict compliance with the Guidelines through the IT Project Clearance process.
“MDAs seeking to implement IT procurement projects are compelled to disclose project alignment with Government’s local content policy and comply with all extant regulations.
“In March 2018, NITDA issued a framework for the registration of Indigenous IT Service Providers and Contractors in Nigeria.
“The process is designed to ensure local companies with proven indigenous capability are given priority in executing IT procurement jobs in Nigeria. NITDA therefore directs all indigenous IT service providers and contractors not yet registered with the Agency to immediately commence their registration process for verification and classification of capacity as IT Companies in Nigeria.
“In implementing the 2018 budget, NITDA will advise MDAs to avoid implementing IT Procurements with companies not registered with NITDA, as they may not have the capacity or professionalism to deliver IT projects. This is to reduce the high incidence of failure and poor delivery of IT projects in Nigeria.
“Currently, NITDA is in the process of amending the Guidelines for Nigerian Content Development in ICT.
“Various stakeholders have made inputs for the amendment of the Guidelines. Inputs have been received from the Telecom Sector Industry Working Group at a session facilitated in partnership with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
“NITDA plans to issue the amended Guidelines before the end of third quarter of 2018 (Q3).
“The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is an Agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria. The Agency was created in April 2001 to implement the Nigerian Information Technology Policy and co-ordinate general IT development and regulation in the country.
“Specifically, Section 6(a, b & c) of the Act mandates NITDA to create a framework for the planning, research, development, standardization, application, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and regulation of Information Technology practices, activities and systems in Nigeria; and render advisory services in all information technology matters to the public and private sectors”, the Statement reads.
Source: TechEconomy.ng