#WeekInReview: Full Week Recap of Activities of the Honourable Minister, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani (Vol. 108)

Back to About Us > #WeekInReview: Full Week Recap of Activities of the Honourable Minister, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani (Vol. 108)

Posted on:

November 11, 2025

INTRO

This past week, the Honourable Minister’s focus remained on advancing Nigeria’s digital transformation through strategic engagements, international partnerships, and policy strengthening. From hosting global development partners to participating in high-level events and legislative sessions, each engagement reflected our commitment to building a connected, innovative, and inclusive digital economy.

We deepened collaboration with institutions like the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on Project BRIDGE — a cornerstone initiative for expanding national broadband access. We also joined lawmakers and industry leaders to review the National Digital Economy and e-Governance Bill, a crucial step toward establishing a strong framework for Nigeria’s digital future.

TIMELINE

Monday, November 3 – Strengthening Digital Infrastructure Partnerships

The Honourable Minister hosted a team from the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to further discuss modalities for the financing of Project BRIDGE, our Ministry’s initiative to enhance interconnectivity across Nigeria by deploying 90,000km of fibre-optic cable to unserved and underserved communities. At the meeting, they reviewed key financing and loan implementation arrangements ahead of the project’s final loan approval by both development partners. The African Development Bank Group team was led by Chief Innovation and Digital Expert, Uyoyo Edosio, while Lara Gungor, led the team from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
After this, Dr. Tijani received the team from Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), led by Yomi Arowosafe. The meeting focused on reviewing the activities of the agency and planning towards the coming year.

Tuesday, November 4 – Advancing Digital Governance and Innovation

On Tuesday, he delivered a keynote address at the International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV 2025) – reaffirming the government’s commitment to ensuring that innovative ideas form the foundation of Nigeria’s digital transformation. Themed, ‘Shaping the Future of Digital Governance through Cooperation, Innovation, and Inclusion’, the 4-day event brought together global leaders, policymakers, researchers, and innovators in Abuja to explore how digital governance can drive inclusive development and shared prosperity.

Wednesday, November 5 – Driving Digital Research and Skills Collaboration

The Honourable Minister was guest speaker at the National Defence College in Abuja where he spoke on the topic; ‘Fintech and Economic Growth in Nigeria: The Banking Sector in a Digital Economy’.
Back in his office, Dr. Tijani hosted Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of the United Nations University and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. Their discussions centered around the critical role of research in nation-building, especially around digital transformation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and digital skills & literacy. Both parties agreed to collaborate on mobilising resources towards the establishment of a UNU Institute in Nigeria focused on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), and potentially two additional UNU research hubs: one dedicated to AI (in affiliation with the UNU Institute on AI in Bologna) and another focused on Digital Skills & Literacy.

BLUEPRINT ALIGNMENT

Infrastructure
This week, Dr. Tijani’s engagements with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) focused on advancing Project BRIDGE — the Ministry’s flagship broadband initiative aimed at deploying 90,000km of fibre optic infrastructure across the country. These conversations, alongside strategy sessions with the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) and telecom operators, reinforced our commitment to accelerating last-mile connectivity and ensuring every community in Nigeria has access to reliable, high-speed internet.

Policy
At the National Digital Economy and e-Governance Bill (NDEB) retreat in Lagos, he joined stakeholders from across government and the legislature to harmonise provisions of this important bill. Their deliberations centred on building a strong legal and institutional foundation for digital transformation — one that ensures trust, accountability, and effective governance of our digital ecosystem.

Thursday, November 6 – Engaging Stakeholders and Reviewing National Priorities

The Honourable Minister’s first official engagement on Thursday was a meeting with the GITEX team where they reviewed the successful September 2025 event which took place in Lagos.
He then attended the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa presided over by H.E President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Following the recent rebranding of 9mobile to T2, Dr. Tijani met with Obafemi Banigbe, Chief Executive Officer of T2, to receive updates on the strategic direction of the newly revamped brand.
He later received Sen. Lekan Mustafa, a member of the recently constituted Board of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), who paid him a courtesy visit.

Saturday, November 8 – Advancing Legislative Collaboration on Digital Policy

On Saturday, the Honourable Minister was in Lagos for a one day retreat on the National Digital Economy & e-Governance Bill (NDEB) organised by the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on ICT and Cybersecurity, and Digital & Information Technology. At the session which was attended by key stakeholders in the ICT sector, he highlighted the importance of the bill to Nigeria’s digital economy, and the need to give it the attention that it deserves as we work to develop Nigeria into a $1trillion economy. Present at the retreat were Sen. Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, Chairman Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity; Hon. Adedeji Stanley Olajide, Chairman, House Committee on Digital and Information Technology (ICT); distinguished members of both Senate and House Committees; Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Adeladan Rafiu Olarinre; Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi; Managing Director/CEO, Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB), Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju; Secretary, Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), Yomi Arowosafe; and Lagos State Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Tubosun Alake. The National Digital Economy & e-Governance Bill will create a legal framework for the Nigeria’s digital economy, covering areas like electronic transactions, data protection, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure.

Posted on:

November 11, 2025