The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has said that it is regulating the Information Technology (IT) sector in order to protect the citizens.
Director General/ Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Kashifu Inuwa, made this disclosure on Monday while speaking during the opening of a 2- day IT workshop on artificial intelligence in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.
At the event held at the University of Ibadan were the Vice Chancellor of Summit University, Offa, Professor Abiodun Musa Aibinu, Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on ICT and E-commerce, Adebayo Akande and other participants.
Inuwa, while speaking at the event theme “Responsible Artificial Intelligence and Futuristic Technologies”, insisted that the agency has introduced some enforcement measures to regulate the IT sector.
He maintained that the agency was doing this so as to protect the citizens and ensure a fair market.
Inuwa, who was represented by Dr. Falilat Olaitan Jimoh, said that the agency was concerned about how IT technology can be utilised to foster healthy growth of the nation’s digital economy and safety.
The NITDA DG said, “As IT technology drives new business and service models, NITDA realises the need to create and enforce developmental regulations to protect citizens and ensure fair markets while letting innovation and business flourish.
“As such, we are concerned about how IT technology can be utilised to foster healthy growth of the nation’s digital economy and safety, through the proper regulatory instruments and implementation strategy that drives the adoption of the technology by both public and private sectors”.
Aibinu in his lecture urged the government to adopt artificial intelligence to tackle unemployment and insecurity.
