56% MDAs IT projects fail – NITDA

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has said 56 per cent IT projects embarked upon by the Ministries, Department and Agencies of government usually fail to deliver on what was promised.

NITDA’s Director General, Kashifu Inuwa, disclosed this after he took the campaign on the imperative of scrutinising IT projects of the Federal Public Institutions to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Office of the Auditor General of the Federation and Bureau of Public Procurement in Abuja yesterday.

The visit focused on the presentation of NITDA’s Reviewed IT Project Clearance Guidance Document—an updated framework designed to standardise the planning, funding, and execution of IT projects in line with national digital economy goals.

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The document, a revision of the 2018 Guidelines for Clearance of IT Projects, emphasises cost-effectiveness, regulatory compliance, and transparency, reinforcing NITDA’s role as the clearing house for all government IT initiatives under the National Information Technology Development Act (2007).

Why IT projects fail – DG

The NITDA’s director general said, “56 per cent IT projects failed to deliver on what was promised because we go for the latest technology, and failure to design before building the technology and lack of consideration for the business value proposition we are trying to deliver with the projects.”

He said there is a need to be more focused and intentional in the implementation of IT projects if the country wants to maintain its leading position in Africa.

Inuwa told his hosts that in order to guard against that, “NITDA has reviewed the IT clearance guideline because experience has shown that most Ministries, Departments and Agencies build IT projects based on the proposal submitted to them by the contractors who would design the projects, implement them and operate them which gives no room for accountability and transparency and that has led to the failure of many IT projects.”

He added: “We are building a digitised government service; and government is one. We need to work together, work harmoniously, the same way IT system works to deliver these services.

“For us to achieve this, we need to be more intentional in the way we design and implement. If we continue to design and implement in silos, they will never worked together.”

Idea behind reviewed IT projects’ guidelines

Inuwa maintained that the idea behind the reviewed guideline is to ensure that IT projects are designed in line with the mindset of interoperability in order for Ministries, Departments and Agencies, (MDAs) to explore shared services and follow the best practices and standards.

“The guideline will guide MDAs on how to design, operate, and how to maintain systems because building these systems is beyond technology but people, processes and key components of that are paramount,” he said.

According to the director general, the proposed guideline has three steps of IT projects implementations; the Solution Design, the Implementation and Quality Assurance steps.

He added that going forward, contractors are required to get license and certified employees on these three steps for their companies before the government’s IT projects could be awarded to them.

“These measures are designed to eliminate corruption, prevent duplication, and ensure that government IT initiatives are structured to create meaningful change—fostering efficiency, equity, and fairness in public service,” he added.

N300bn saved in IT projects clearing by NITDA

It could be recalled that NITDA, in 2018, unveiled the guideline for IT Project Clearance, and the agency has been able to save over N300 billion for the country in its effort at clearing IT projects, according to the director general.

IT project bidding documents should be standardised – BPP

At the Bureau of Public Procurement, the Director General, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, stressed the significance of standardising IT project bidding documents.

“It is disheartening that organisations misuse IT projects to siphon public funds—resources that could otherwise be channelled towards impactful initiatives that can transform the country,” he said.

He disclosed that MDAs come with IT projects that were adopted without standardisation and guideline, “but with this new guideline our decision should pave the way for the development of the IT sector of the country.”

While describing the meeting as crucial to eradicate corruption in the implementation of IT projects, noting that because most IT project components are intangible, officials leveraged them to siphon public funds, adding that the bureau has developed a standard bidding document for IT procurement.

“We have a huge responsibility with NITDA to avoid corruption, duplication of IT projects, and ensure transparency and accountability in the award of IT projects for the Federal Public Institutions.

“It is disheartening that we are consuming resources that can be deployed to meet other needs of the country, and we need to stop this and say no to wastage,” he said.

He tasked NITDA to reconsider service-wide procurement of licenses of organisations like Microsoft, Oracle and others, and also develop a template for IT price intelligence which the bureau can rely on for costing.

“We are not IT experts, if NITDA can help us with data on the prices of IT-related products, which can serve as benchmark for pricing, it will go a long way in our review”, he said.

Dr Adedokun equally canvassed for capacity building for the government’s staff in the IT cadre so they would not be outsmarted by contractors.

Both NITDA and BPP agreed to constitute a working committee that would work out modalities for the realisation of the intended plan and sign a memorandum of understanding on its implementation.

AuGF office to conduct performance audit on guidelines

At the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, the Auditor General of the Federation, Shaakaa Kanyitor Chira, remarked that NITDA needs to be commended for its thoughtfulness in bringing the guideline forward for review and inputs.

He assured that once the policy becomes operational, the Office of the Auditor General will conduct a performance audit to assess whether it is effectively contributing to the betterment of the country.

Similarly, the Accountant General, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, commended NITDA’s efforts to standardise IT project implementation and expressed readiness to support the integration of the clearance guidelines into financial processes.

By presenting the Reviewed IT Project Clearance Guidance Document, NITDA aims to ensure that the AGF’s financial oversight aligns with its vision of a digitally transformed public sector.

The collaboration is expected to enhance service delivery, curb inefficiencies and position Nigeria as a leader in technology-driven governance.

NITDA should be tough on recalcitrant MDAs – Experts

Experts have said NITDA should go tough on recalcitrant MDAs and other officials who may want to bypass the reviewed guidelines for their ulterior motives.

Mikayla Ajurase, a procurement expert, said the IT clearing agency should not give in to manipulation by corrupt officials.

“They should equally give in to pressure from big contractors who may want to induce their officials financially”, Ajurase said.

Ladipo Omilani, a financial analyst, told our reporter that unless tough measures are taken against MDAs, they would continue to frustrate efforts to sanitise the award of contracts.