Novel consultation process on bill caused public confusion - Acting NITA boss

Ing. Dr Mark-Oliver Kevor, Acting Director-General of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA), explained that the ongoing development of the proposed NITA Bill has followed a "novel" and exploratory consultation process, which he says has contributed to public misunderstanding about the status and content of the draft legislation. He said, "We took an exploratory approach where we said, right from the beginning, let us go out there." He also noted that ICT regulation is complex because the sector is "horizontal" and cuts across multiple industries.

Dr Mark-Oliver Kevor clarified that there had been public confusion about whether the bill had already been laid before Parliament. He noted that the broad consultation process was intended to strengthen the policy framework, but it also meant that not all suggestions could be incorporated into the final proposal. He explained that one of the key challenges in drafting the bill has been managing regulatory overlaps between institutions such as the Data Protection Commission and the National Communications Authority (NCA). He added that part of the confusion stemmed from misunderstandings about NITA's mandate, noting that while the agency was established as an ICT regulator, its regulatory functions had not been fully activated over the years.

After stakeholder consultations, the proposal will proceed to Cabinet, then to the Attorney-General's Department for legal drafting, before eventually being laid before Parliament for consideration and further public input. Discussions are ongoing regarding whether NITA should be granted authority to license ICT professionals.