The National Information Technology Development Agency (the “Agency”) was created in April 2001 to implement the Nigerian Information and Communication Technology Policy and co-ordinate general information technology development in Nigeria. The National Information Technology Development Agency (the “NITDA Act”) was, however, passed in 2007 and it empowers the Agency 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.
In August 2021, the National Information Technology Development Agency Bill (the “NITDA Bill”), which proposes to repeal and amend the extant NITDA Act, was released. A review of the NITDA Bill reveals that there are a number of proposed significant changes to be introduced by the NITDA Bill to the current regulatory landscape of the Information Technology Industry and Digital Economy.
In this article, we examine highlights of the changes introduced by the NITDA Bill and how these changes may affect businesses particularly those functioning within the Information Technology Industry and Digital Economy.