The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, has disclosed that the agency’s digital agricultural initiative piloted in Jigawa State under the National Adopted Village for Smart Agriculture, NAVSA, would be extended to other states in the country.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that NAVSA is aimed at digitalizing agriculture to drive Digital Economy in the country, as part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda of leveraging technology and innovation to revolutionize agricultural value chain.
The project was piloted in Jigawa State in July, 2020 with the plan to capture all the states in the country.
It was also reported that the NAVSA which is an initiative of the Agency is to create a digital database for farmers where they can buy and sell their farm produce.
Speaking while receiving the management of the state’s Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, JICCIMA, on a courtesy visit in Abuja on Tuesday, Mr Inuwa said that NAVSA remains one of the success stories of the Agency in the state.
According to Mr Inuwa, the Agency will ensure that the programme covers all the 36 states of the federation, so as to build digital capabilities and innovations towards creating massive jobs and improve the income and wealth of every ecosystem players.
Earlier, the JICCIMA President, Muhammed Muktar, solicited the support of the NITDA in the construction and provision of equipment for e-Library, support survey and data collection for building of a database for JICCIMA handbook.
Others include training of 500 JICCIMA members on online businesses and e-marketing.
“We believe by doing so, JICCIMA will improve the capacity of its members in doing business and also boost the economic activities of the state generally thereby creating jobs and revenue flow for the state,” he said.
Responding, Mr Inuwa assured JICCIMA of NITDA’s commitment to work with their members towards building their capacity through e-learning platforms.
The DG recalled that in January this year, while commissioning an ICT centre in Hadeija, Governor Muhammed Badaru had expressed his resolve to partner with the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and NITDA to make the state ICT compliant in all its operations.
Mr Inuwa said: “Training is one of the Agency’s mandates. With the outbreak of COVID-19, our trainings have been going on virtually which is in line with the Presidential Task Force guidelines to maintain social distancing, such special trainings can be done virtually to impact the citizens of the state.
“The e-learning center will enable the state create jobs and aid in lifting 100 million people out of poverty which is in line with the present administration by providing direct or indirect jobs for the growth and development of the country,” he added.
