By Ngozi Onyeakusi —– The Federal Government has approved paternity and compassionate leave, among others, for the staff of the National Information Technology Development Agency.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, made this known at the unveiling and presentation of the NITDA’s Employee-Centric Condition and Scheme of Service in Abuja on Tuesday.

In his address as the chief convener and host, the minister appreciated the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for his approval of both documents for NITDA on the 12th of February, 2021, as well as his general support for the digital economy sector.

He stated that the scheme and conditions of service took almost five years to complete, adding that they presented a holistic approach to the development of the agency on one hand and the employees on the other.

According to him, the documents will enable the agency effectively key into the digital economy mandate of the Federal Government, enhance the corporate culture of the agency, as well as attract and retain highly skilled staff.

“Key areas include the introduction of paternity and compassionate leave, responsibility award, transfer benefits and staff home ownership loan, among others,” he highlighted.

Pantami said the scheme of service would serve as a veritable tool for making NITDA more functional, noting that it identified 15 different cadres for the agency and specified the skills and certifications required for appointment and promotion.

According to him, the Conditions of Service were to reengineer the operations and structure of the agency with the aim of providing an enabling environment for effective strategy development and execution.

He urged NITDA to use the approval of the scheme and conditions of service as a springboard for greater impact.

The agency on Monday announced the commencement of specialised digital literacy and skills programme for states.