The formation of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is the fruition of a journey that began early in the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo. With the president's enthusiastic support, and under the guidance of the Honourable Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Turner T. Isoun, an Information Technology (IT) Policy drafting committee was formed and mandated with developing a National IT Policy for Nigeria. Under the able direction of Professor G. Olalere Ajayi, the National IT Policy was prepared and subsequently approved by the Federal Executive Council in March 2001. On May 24, 2001, the National IT Policy was launched to the public. Since the launch of the policy, the Honourable Minister has noted, “The response from the public has been enthusiastic and overwhelming.”

As the Honourable Minister Turner Isoun said recently, “The formulation of an information technology policy only constitutes about 20% of the IT solution for a country. We appreciate that the implementation constitutes the 80%.” Because of this, as part of the ground breaking National IT Policy, a body was inaugurated to carry out the much larger task of implementation. Following the approval of the National IT Policy by the Federal Executive Council, the National IT Development Agency (NITDA) was established.

NITDA's mandate is diverse and vast, but all their responsibilities fall under the aegis of fostering the development and growth of IT in Nigeria. In an effort towards ensuring that the policy's implementation proceeds with maximum effectiveness, NITDA will regulate, monitor, evaluate, and verify progress on an on going basis under the supervision and coordination of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology.