#WeekInReview: Full Week Recap of Activities of the Honourable Minister, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani (Vol. 91)

Back to About Us > #WeekInReview: Full Week Recap of Activities of the Honourable Minister, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani (Vol. 91)

Posted on:

June 30, 2025

INTRO

Last week took the Honourable Minister from Oslo to Geneva as he continued efforts to position Nigeria as a strategic contributor to global digital policy and governance. At the 20th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Norway, he engaged with global leaders on advancing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as a tool for trust, inclusion, and innovation.

He also sustained momentum at the second week of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council in Geneva, where he delivered remarks on the future of the ITU, participated in key leadership engagements, and advanced conversations around collaboration opportunities for Nigeria’s digital transformation. This edition captures the substance of a week focused on global cooperation and foundational infrastructure for digital inclusion.

TIMELINE

Monday, June 23 – Internet Governance Forum Opens in Oslo

Dr. Tijani traveled to Oslo, Norway, to attend the 20th Internet Governance Forum (IGF). His first engagement was a Ministerial Dialogue focused on National Perspectives on Subsea Cable Protection. In his submission, he highlighted the critical role of subsea cables as the backbone of global digital infrastructure and emphasised the need for global cooperation. The panel session which was moderated by Giacomo Persi Paoli, Head of the Security and Technology Programme, UNIDIR, featured other Ministers including Karianne Tung, Minister of Digitalisation and Public Governance, Norway; Jarno Syrjälä, Under-secretary of State for International Trade, Finland; and Liisa-Ly Pakosta, Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs, Estonia.

Tuesday, June 24 – Championing DPI

On Tuesday, the Honourable Minister visited the University of Oslo where he was received by Åse Gornitzka, the Pro-Rector at the University of Oslo. The University representatives — which include Solveig Kristensen, Dean at The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences; and Prof. Morten Dæhlen, Center Leader of Centre for Computational and Data Science — gave a presentation on TRUST, the Norwegian Centre for Trustworthy AI initiative to develop an interdisciplinary knowledge base to deliver safe, fair, and responsible AI. This initiative mirrors our Ministry’s work in developing Nigeria’s National AI Strategy, the National AI Trust, and our growing AI ecosystem including the AI Collective and the AI Scaling Hub.
Following the visit, Dr. Tijani returned to the venue of the Internet Governance Forum, where he featured on a high level discussion forum on Digital Public Goods and Global Digital Cooperation. In his remarks, he stated that Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) offers a practical solution to addressing the trust deficit between citizens and their governments, especially in Africa. He went further to highlight the importance of DPI stating that it enables the government to spend smarter, break silos, and rebuild broken trust — making technology work for the people and not just for the system. Fellow discussants on the engaging panel which was moderated by Liv Marte Nordhaug, CEO, Digital Public Goods Alliance include Luanna Roncaratti, Deputy Secretary for Digital Governance, Brazil; Dr. Takuo Imagawa, Vice-Minister for Policy Coordination, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan, and Amandeep Singh Gill, Under-Secretary-General and the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Digital and Emerging Technologies.

BLUEPRINT ALIGNMENT

The week’s engagements strongly align with the key Infrastructure pillar of our Ministry’s Strategic Blueprint:

Infrastructure: Our continued work on Project BRIDGE, alongside discussions with AfDB and the ITU on DPI funding, demonstrates our commitment to building secure, resilient, and inclusive connectivity infrastructure across Nigeria.

Wednesday, June 25 – ITU Council Engagements in Geneva

He returned to Geneva, Switzerland to continue his participation in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council meeting, in his capacity as Vice Chair of the Council.
While in Geneva, the Honourable Minister met with the Nigerian delegation to the ITU Council to receive updates on their activities. Following this meeting, he had bilateral engagements with other delegation and representatives at the ITU Council to explore areas of collaboration and mutual interest.

Thursday, June 26 – Navigating the Future of the ITU

As part of events to celebrate 160 years of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Dr. Tijani delivered an address to member state representatives and senior leaders of the organisation on the future of the ITU at the World Café with ITU Council. In his address, he shared reflections from Nigeria’s journey towards achieving our digital transformation objectives, and reiterated that the work of the ITU has evolved far beyond enabling communication, it now sits at the heart of global development — powering financial inclusion, education, innovation, and resilience.

Friday, June 27 – Advancing Project BRIDGE and DPI Funding

He had an update call with representatives of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) on the progress of Project BRIDGE, our Ministry’s initiative to build 90,000km of fibre-optic network to enhance connectivity in unserved and underserved communities across Nigeria.
Then he had a productive meeting with members of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) to discuss prospects of European Union (EU) funding for DPI and digital transformation plans.
The Honourable Minister’s last official engagement in Geneva was to attend the closing plenary session of the ITU Council.

Posted on:

June 30, 2025