The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has pledged to strengthen collaboration with the Centre for Inclusive Development (CID) to promote digital accessibility and ensure persons with disabilities are not left behind in Nigeria’s digital transformation.
The commitment was made during a courtesy visit by CID to NITDA, where the organisation presented findings from its research on digital accessibility and discussed opportunities to strengthen accessibility standards across Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
Representing NITDA’s Director-General, Dr Ayodeji Eniola, the Director of Corporate Planning and Strategy, Inuwa, said the findings aligned with the agency’s mandate to ensure that no Nigerian is excluded from the country’s digital transformation.
Inuwa said NITDA’s digital literacy programme, which targets 70 per cent digital literacy nationwide by 2027, is being implemented across schools, the informal sector and the workforce.
He said the agency was committed to ensuring that digital skills and opportunities reach Nigerians regardless of their circumstances.
According to him, NITDA had identified gaps affecting persons with disabilities within its digital literacy framework and had commenced efforts to address them.
He added that the agency was also exploring measures to advance the development of national accessibility standards, while accessibility considerations had already been incorporated into its revised website guidelines for government institutions.
Inuwa reaffirmed NITDA’s willingness to deepen its collaboration with CID, particularly in the areas of digital literacy and accessibility, stressing the need for stronger measures to ensure digital technologies effectively serve all Nigerians.
Presenting the research findings, disability rights advocate, lawyer and researcher Tracy Onabis Agbamu said the study assessed about 30 government digital platforms and found that only 47 per cent met the required accessibility threshold.
Agbamu identified NITDA among the platforms that performed strongly in the assessment, attributing the agency’s performance to its efforts towards advancing digital inclusion.
She, however, said the research revealed significant accessibility challenges across private-sector platforms, particularly in the banking, fintech and payments sectors.
Agbamu warned that inaccessible digital financial services could force persons with disabilities to depend on third parties to access essential services, potentially exposing them to privacy and security risks.
She stressed that digital inclusion goes beyond providing citizens with digital skills, noting that digital platforms must also be designed to support assistive technologies and enable persons with disabilities to access services independently.
Agbamu called for NITDA’s support in developing guidance on accessibility statements for government websites, as well as incorporating accessibility requirements into procurement and licensing frameworks.
She also urged the agency to promote accessibility standards across critical sectors and provide technical support for the development and validation of a national digital accessibility standard for Nigeria.
The engagement highlighted the need for accessibility to remain at the centre of Nigeria’s digital transformation as government and private-sector services increasingly move online and more Nigerians participate in the digital economy.
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