The Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy yesterday hosted a stakeholder engagement event on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. 

Themed, ‘Accelerating Nigeria’s Digital Transformation: A Blueprint for Economic Growth through Technical Efficiency’, the event gathered international stakeholders, development partners, and leaders from the technology and innovation sectors to highlight our progress over the past year and identify opportunities for partnership and collaborations in alignment with the Ministry’s Strategic Blueprint.

Attendees at the event were treated to a presentation outlining the key pillars of the Ministry’s Strategic Blueprint and other initiatives in the areas of capacity building, infrastructure development, investment drive, and the adoption of future technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI).

“It’s a time for us to truly appreciate what we have been able to do,” said Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy while addressing the gathering. “We know the world is going through a difficult time at the moment, but Nigeria is building on a unique foundation which offers the opportunity not just for us to address problems locally, and to contribute towards addressing many of the challenges the world is facing today.

“When you think of the global food insecurity challenge, most African countries are well-placed to to help the world address this, but we can’t do Agriculture the traditional way, we have to bring technology into it. That’s when we start to see how important everyone of us here today are to the future of Nigeria and the world.

“We would like to improve learning outcomes in our educational system, but can we truly do that today without deploying technology effectively? With digital technology we all know what is possible. Every challenge that we face is tied to each one of us. The trajectory for Nigeria’s growth is in our hands. Without this sector, we will struggle to see the future we all desire for our country,” he concluded.

Following his remarks, Dr. Tijani engaged in a fireside chat with Sangbu Kim, Vice President for Digital Transformation, World Bank Group, where they spoke on the importance of investing in technology infrastructure by global development banks and the potential that Africa holds in contributing to the world’s digital economy.