Week In Review

It’s been another productive week for the team and I, as we carry on our mission of operationalising the Renewed Hope Agenda. We are starting to see traction from our initiatives and we will continue to engage partners and stakeholders to achieve our objectives. As always, I am keen to share our progress and activities so here are the highlights of my week #NigerianExcellence

This week’s (October 16 – October 20, 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 week by meeting with the newly appointed Managing Director/CEO, NigComSat, Nkechi Egerton-Idehen. We had an excellent conversation about her plans for her new role as we work together to achieve the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

I later joined other Cabinet members at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Issues deliberated upon in the meeting centred around ensuring Nigeria’s rapid infrastructure and economic development for inclusive growth.

After the FEC meeting, I headed straight to Kigali, Rwanda for the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Africa where I was to delivered a keynote and attend other panel sessions.

Tuesday

At MWC Africa in Kigali, I joined other key government functionaries and business leaders across the continent to share knowledge and discuss a wide range of issues towards ensuring our shared prosperity.

My first engagement at the event was the Edison Discovery Ministerial Breakfast which was a gathering of government ministers and esteemed Edison champions. Discussions delved into the ways in which the Alliance for Digital Inclusion can play a pivotal role in assisting governments to successfully attain their digitalisation objectives.

Next session I attended was the Smart Women & Girls (SWG) Peer Learning & Mentorship event for Women & Girls in ICT organised by Smart Africa Alliance. This session underscored the significance of nurturing young girls' interest in STEM and emphasised the pivotal role of empowering women in the tech sector.

Following this session, I joined other attendees for the official opening ceremony of the MWC Africa event by the Rwandan President, His Excellency Paul Kagame. After the official opening ceremony by the host President, I met with a delegation from leading mobile telecoms operator, MTN Nigeria led by its Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola where we discussed the Ministry’s ongoing initiatives and ways that MTN Nigeria could support the development of Nigeria’s technology ecosystem.

Following this meeting, I delivered a presentation themed, ‘Sustaining Investment in Digital Infrastructure to Harness Value in the Digital Economy’. During the presentation, I urged African countries to leverage on existing infrastructure in their countries for economic stability just as they invest in building new ones.

Thereafter, I met with a team from Ericsson led by Jean-Francois Le Bihan, the company’s Head of Government and Industry Relations for South, East and West Africa. I was pleased to obtain their commitment to supporting the Ministry’s targets as outlined in our Strategic Blueprint, particularly the Infrastructure component.

I ended a busy day in Kigali with a quick catch up with the GSMA team led by Angela Wamola, Head of sub-Saharan Africa who are the organisers of the MWC Africa.

Wednesday

I started the day with a meeting in Kigali with representatives of Huawei to discuss their operations in Nigeria and explore ways to collaborate towards achieving the goals in our Strategic Blueprint.

Following this meeting, I headed back to Abuja and went straight into the office to join a review meeting with my team on the status of ongoing initiatives including the 3MTT programme.

I later hosted the Microsoft Country Manager, Ola Williams to follow up on previous discussions on possible areas of collaboration towards achieving our objectives.

After this meeting, I was visited by a team from the Mastercard Foundation. They were led by Rosy Fynn, Country Director, Nigeria Programs, and they expressed keen interest in the our Strategic Blueprint. We had an extensive conversation on collaboration geared at deepening the impact of the 3MTT Programme.

We also explored avenues in which both parties can take advantage of the youth bulge in Africa, particularly as it relates to agriculture, creative sector and digital economy.

Thursday

I started the day by delivering an address at the launch of the European Union Global Gateway initiative which took place at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja. I commended the EU on their work in promoting education, innovation, energy, and technology in Africa, and expressed my commitment towards collaborating with the EU to achieve shared prosperity.

My next stop was the State House, Abuja to attend the EU-Nigeria Strategic Dialogue targeted at building a stronger and long-lasting relationship with the European Union. There, the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, announced a €900 million package, adding that the EU would continue to invest in priorities of security, democracy and prosperity for all.

Back in the office, I joined a virtual meeting with the World Economic Forum (WEF) in a follow-up conversation on their Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) network. We spoke about ways to further explore research opportunities in 4IR technologies for Nigeria.

Later that evening, Ibrahim Adamu Abdullahi, MD/CEO of Nasarawa Investment and Development Agency (NASIDA), visited me to share updates on their ongoing projects including the Nasarawa Technology Village. We also discussed areas of partnership with the Ministry, especially the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Programme, for the benefit of the people of Nasarawa.

Friday

On Friday morning, I presided over the monthly Management meeting with Directors of the Ministry to discuss their activities and plans for the week ahead.

I then met with a delegation from the Association of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning of Nigeria (AAIMLON) led by its Vice Chair, Prof. Francisca Ogwueleka. The meeting focused on partnering to mainstream the application of Artificial Intelligence for Nigeria’s economic prosperity.

Later in the afternoon, I hosted a team from the World Bank Group office in Nigeria led by the Regional Director, Infrastructure, West and Central Africa Region, Franz Drees-Gross. Conversation focused on finding alignment between World Bank programmes and our Strategic Blueprint. The team expressed specific interest in collaborating with us on digital skills, connectivity and digital public infrastructure.

Shortly after, I received a courtesy call from Hon. Afolabi Afuape, Member of the House of Representatives from Ogun State, in the company of Hon. Tola Banjo, former Deputy Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly.

My last official engagement for the week was a meeting with the Raspberry Pi team to discuss areas of potential partnership with the Ministry. The team expressed their commitment to supporting the the goals outlined in the Knowledge Pillar of our Strategic Blueprint.