Minister's Week In Review

This week’s (October 9 – October 13, 2023) recap of the activities of Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, Honourable Minister for Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Monday

I started the day with a weekly update meeting with the team to review the activities of the past week and evaluate plans towards achieving overall set objectives.?

I later hosted the MTN MoMo Payment Service Bank team in my office where the PSB solicited our support in ensuring better adoption of mobile money in Nigeria. The team went on to highlight their strategic verticals – payment & e-commerce, bank tech, wallet, insurtech, and remittance – available for use by agents, businesses, and consumers.

Following this meeting, I was at the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) to deliver a lecture at the Institute’s Crisis Management Seminar, organised in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS). My lecture was on the topic: ‘Economic Integration and Digital Technologies: Implications for Crisis Management in Africa’.

The day ended with a meeting with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Director General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi to discuss modalities for the upcoming launch of the 3MTT programme targeted at training 3 million fellows across Nigeria.

Tuesday

The day kicked off with a meeting with the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta at my office.

After this I took part in a virtual meeting with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) to discuss their agenda for the upcoming Nigerian Economic Summit and my participation in the event.

I later hosted a team from Guru Delivery, a social enterprise operating with the aim of empowering individuals with lower-limb disabilities, specifically polio survivors and amputees. Discussions at the meeting focused on inclusivity, innovation, and employability as it aligns with the Ministry’s Strategic Blueprint.

Wednesday

First on my agenda was a fireside chat with Tomiwa Aladekomo, CEO of the Big Cabal Media at the Moonshot by TechCabal event in Lagos. There, I outlined our plans, initiatives and policy direction for the Ministry, aimed at promoting innovation and growing the nation’s digital economy.

While in Lagos, I visited the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), an NCC funded ICT training institute, where I did a tour of the facility. The DBI has several campuses across Nigeria including Lagos, Kano, Yola, Abuja, Enugu and Asaba, where they provide ICT-focused training for individuals and organisations.

Back in Abuja, I met with AI strategist, Abel Aboh to discuss details of Nigeria’s National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy. We discussed the importance of having a wide array of inputs to develop and implement the Strategy, and its importance to the achievement of our overall Blueprint.

The IHS team then visited my office as a follow up to last week’s meeting which focused on the need for rapid infrastructural development in the telecoms industry and the role of the company in achieving this critical imperative. IHS spoke extensively about the Ministry’s strategic blueprint and their commitment towards supporting its implementation.

Thursday?

As part of plans to engage with Nigerians on the details and execution of the ministry’s Strategic Blueprint, I commenced a series of media appearances, first of which was an interview on the ChannelsTV’s Sunrise Daily programme. The interview focused on the roadmap for achieving the vision outlined in the Blueprint. There, I spoke about the key components of execution, including the ‘1%-10%-100% Implementation Rule’, and our plan towards making Nigeria a net exporter of talent.?

Back at the office, I met with the newly appointed Postmaster General/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Tola Odeyemi, to discuss ideas and immediate next steps on reshaping the agency for the benefit of all Nigerians.

Immediately after this, I hosted a team from Airtel Nigeria, led by its Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director, Carl Cruz. They outlined critical challenges faced by industry operators while also exploring areas of collaboration towards facilitating the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.

Following this, I hosted the newly appointed Special Adviser to the President on Technology and Digital Economy, Idris Alubankudi. We discussed areas of collaboration towards achieving the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Next was a meeting with the Oracle team led by Dipo Faulkner, the company’s Vice President, Technology Software, Africa. We discussed a wide range of issues including the harmonisation of services across government.?

I wrapped up the day with a follow-up meeting with a team from the European Union for a detailed discussion on the EU-Nigeria Digital Economy Package, status of ongoing projects and upcoming ones. We also discussed the Horizon Europe Programme as well as a wide range of opportunities for collaboration and investment. The European Union team was led by Inga Stefanowicz, Head of Section Green and Digital Economy at EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS.

Friday

My first official activity on Friday was a media appearance on TV Continental’s Breakfast Show as part of scheduled media engagements. In addition to sharing further execution details on the Strategic Blueprint, I announced the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Programme geared at training 3 million technical talent by year 2027. There, I called on intending fellows and training providers to send in their applications and be part of an initial prototype group of 30,000 individuals. The application website [3mtt.nitda.gov.ng] received over 20,000 registrations from applicants across Nigeria within 12 hours of launching.

I later engaged in briefing sessions with the Human Resources and Media Units of the Ministry, where I received updates on their activities and explored ways of improving their capacity to deliver and further boost staff productivity.

To cap what has been a week of back-to-back announcements and programme unveiling for the Ministry, I announced the launch of Nigeria Artificial Intelligence Research Scheme targeted at funding 45 consortia of startups and researchers with up to N5 million grants. The groundbreaking initiative is to allow startups and researchers explore opportunities to deepen their work and build a sustainable AI ecosystem in Nigeria.?

Eligible startups and researchers are invited to put in their applications using the link [airg.nitda.gov.ng/] before it closes on November 15, 2023.

Aminu Maida, the newly appointed Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NCC paid a visit to my office making it his first official visit after his appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.