The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has unveiled revised IT Project Clearance Guidelines aimed at improving accountability, reducing duplication, and curbing corruption in the implementation of government IT projects.
The move aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to enhance governance and service delivery across the public sector. The updated framework, which replaces the 2018 guidelines, was presented to key stakeholders including the Offices of the Accountant General and Auditor General of the Federation, as well as the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
During the presentation, Kashifu Inuwa, NITDA Director General, emphasised the need for collaboration among government agencies to achieve digital transformation. He noted that about 56 per cent of IT projects fail due to lack of proper planning and dependence on contractor-driven proposals, leading to inefficiency and waste.
Inuwa stated, “We must stop implementing IT projects in silos. If we are building a digitised government, all systems must be interoperable, intentional, and aligned with shared services principles.”
The revised guidelines outline three key stages for IT projects, solution design, implementation, and quality assurance, and mandate certification of contractors for each stage. This, Inuwa said, will promote transparency, reduce corruption, and ensure proper execution of government IT initiatives.
At the BPP, Director General Dr. Adebowale Adedokun described the new guidelines as critical to ending the misuse of IT projects to siphon public funds. He called for service-wide procurement models for software licences and requested that NITDA develop IT price benchmarks to support the BPP’s oversight efforts.
The Auditor General of the Federation, Shaakaa Chira, pledged support for the initiative and promised performance audits to assess its effectiveness. Similarly, the Accountant General, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, commended the initiative and assured integration of the framework into financial oversight systems.
A working committee and a Memorandum of Understanding are expected to formalise the partnership between NITDA and the key oversight offices.
Since the original guidelines were introduced in 2018, NITDA claims to have saved Nigeria over N300 billion through its IT project clearance activities. The new guidelines aim to extend this impact by standardising procurement, promoting digital inclusion, and enhancing service delivery across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
