The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has released the draft of Technical Standards for Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and called for stakeholders’ input to produce an enhanced and enforceable document.

The DPI is a set of digital systems that enables countries to safely and efficiently provide economic opportunities and deliver social services.

Hadiza Umar, director of corporate communications and media relations, said this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

Ms Umar said the step was part of the federal government’s commitment to an inclusive and secure digital ecosystem for economic growth, seamless public service delivery and empowerment of citizens.

She recalled that the federal government on March 4 released the DPI framework, which presented a platform for reforming public service delivery and utilising a whole-of-government approach.

The platform also created an avenue for the private sector to design and deliver cross-cutting services for the well-being of citizens and easy services.

According to her, the framework also establishes the Nigerian Digital Public Infrastructure Centre (Ng-DPIC) as the programme implementation office to coordinate the national effort in educating and supporting research.

She also said it would assist in delivering appropriate knowledge management for developing Nigeria’s DPI.

“The draft Technical Standards for DPI provides a structured approach for developing and deploying Nigeria’s DPI. They define the essential technical requirements and proven techniques to ensure interoperability, security and efficiency across digital services.

“By establishing clear guides, these standards support the seamless integration of DPI components, fostering a secure, scalable and resilient digital ecosystem in Nigeria.

“The federal government recognises the crucial role of public input in shaping effective, impactful regulations and therefore invites all stakeholders to review the draft regulation and provide valuable feedback,’’ she said.

Ms Umar also said the draft outlined the structure for integrating sectorial DPIs, including but not limited to digital identity systems, payment platforms and data exchange frameworks.

According to her, it establishes clear guidelines for interoperability, data protection, cybersecurity, and the participation of both public and private sector stakeholders in building digital public goods (DPGs).

She said the draft had been well researched according to global best practices in consultation with various stakeholders.

Ms Umar said it reflected the government’s vision to leverage the power of digital technologies to achieve its national development objectives and improve the lives of Nigerians.

She added that key objectives of the draft included enhanced interoperability among government institutions and platforms, assured data security and privacy, and promotion of accessibility and usability.

Interoperability refers to the degree to which a software system, devices, applications or other entities can connect and communicate with other entities in a coordinated manner without effort from the end user.

She said other objectives of the DPI, when adopted, would be to define performance benchmarks, foster governance and compliance and encourage innovation.

According to her, the DPI draft is available for review on regulations@nitda.gov.ng, while inputs can be made via the same web address.

She added that the agency would consider all feedback received before finalising and implementing the DPI regulation.

(NAN)