The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) have initiated a strategic partnership aimed at aligning digital transformation policies with evolving media regulation frameworks and to ensure closer institutional coordination between the two agencies.
The agencies reached the agreement following a courtesy visit by NBC’s Director-General, Mr Charles Ebuebu, to his NITDA counterpart, Mr Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, where they discussed strategic cooperation on digital transformation and regulatory policy.
Welcoming Mr Abdullahi, the NBC DG, Mr Ebuebu, called for stronger ties between both agencies, describing the partnership as overdue, given the rapid convergence of media and technology.
Mr Ebuebu stated that he has had several insightful interactions with the NITDA DG in the past, adding that it was important to institutionalise cooperation between both agencies to address emerging developments in media, technology, data governance, and Nigeria’s digital future.
Calling for closer ties between the two agencies, he emphasised that a strategic partnership between NBC and NITDA is critical to effectively regulate the evolving media ecosystem, harness technology for content creation and distribution, promote the growth of local media, facilitate knowledge transfer, and protect Nigeria’s cultural and national interests.
On his part, Mr Abdullahi said NITDA was committed to deeper inter-agency cooperation, emphasising that digital transformation must be continuous and institutionally embedded, rather than treated as a one-time reform, saying “Digital transformation is not a one-off project but a continuous journey that requires constant improvement.” He outlined NITDA’s internal restructuring as a model for regulatory modernisation, highlighting reforms built around human capacity development, process optimisation, and technology integration.
According to NITDA, creating organisational cultures that encourage open contribution, collaboration, and constructive challenge is central to effective governance in digital environments. Such institutional openness, officials suggested, is also essential for policy systems that affect information rights and media expression.
A key element of the collaboration involves sharing NITDA’s digital transformation playbook with NBC, alongside capacity-building initiatives in digital literacy, artificial intelligence, and regulatory innovation. These efforts are expected to influence how media oversight adapts to online content ecosystems, algorithmic distribution systems, and emerging forms of digital publishing.
NBC, for its part, framed the partnership as necessary to address the structural shift in how information is produced and disseminated in Nigeria. The commission noted that technology-driven media convergence requires regulatory responses that can accommodate new content formats, support local media growth, and ensure that governance mechanisms remain relevant without stifling innovation or public participation in information exchange.
The agencies also identified collaboration in data governance and digital policy development as priority areas. These domains carry direct implications for access to information, including how digital infrastructure, regulatory procedures, and administrative processes affect transparency, media independence, and citizens’ ability to engage with public institutions.
While the initiative is framed primarily as administrative and technical cooperation, its broader significance lies in how Nigeria’s regulatory architecture may evolve to balance technological advancement with the protection of expressive freedoms in the digital age.
