The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has commenced training for officials of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to prepare government institutions for the transition from Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) to the newer Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6).
The agency said the migration would help expand digital public services, strengthen Nigeria’s digital infrastructure and accommodate the growing number of devices and services relying on internet connectivity.
NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, disclosed this at the opening of an IPv6 migration readiness workshop in Abuja, organised in partnership with the Nigeria IPv6 Council and the African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC).
Represented by the Director of NITDA’s Digital Development Services Department, Oladejo Olawumi, Inuwa urged senior government officials to provide the necessary support to their technical teams to ensure a smooth transition.
He explained that the workshop was designed to help management officials understand the migration process and their responsibilities, while a separate training programme would equip technical personnel with the skills needed to implement it.
According to him, close collaboration between management and technical teams would be crucial to achieving a successful migration across government institutions.
Inuwa noted that IPv4 supports approximately 4.3 billion internet addresses, which are becoming inadequate as more smartphones, security cameras, smart televisions and other connected devices come online.
He said IPv6 provides a much larger pool of internet addresses, making it better suited to meet the country’s expanding connectivity needs and support the digital operations of government agencies.
The NITDA chief linked the initiative to the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda, particularly efforts to move public services online and strengthen the National Sovereign Cloud Initiative.
He added that improved digital infrastructure would enable government institutions to expand online services, improve efficiency and reduce the need for citizens to visit public offices physically.
Inuwa also disclosed that NITDA was sponsoring certification for participating technical personnel, who would sit for examinations at the end of the training. He encouraged management officials to support their staff in completing the programme, describing the certification as an investment in professional growth and institutional capacity.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the IPv6 Council of Nigeria and Chief Executive Officer of the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria, Mohamed Rudman, who facilitated the workshop, welcomed the partnership with NITDA.
Rudman urged participants to take an active part in the training, stressing that their commitment would be important in preparing government institutions for the migration.
