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

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Posted on:

May 20, 2024

INTRO [May 13 – 17]

Dr. Tijani’s vision of massively expanding broadband infrastructure for improved connectivity received a major boost last week as he got approval from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting to launch a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) which will facilitate universal access to internet across the country.

KEY FOCUS

Broadband Infrastructure: To ensure that a larger section of the Nigerian society enjoys the unique benefits of internet connectivity and spur economic activities in remote areas of the country, the Honourable Minister received approval to launch a SPV which will take on the responsibility of increasing the nation’s connectivity backbone to a minimum of 125,000km from the current coverage of about 35,000km.

Capacity Development: Positioning Nigeria’s startup ecosystem to attract funding and expertise from global markets and organisations is a key imperative for the Honourable Minister, therefore he has received the go-ahead from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to convert an existing property of the Federal Government in San Francisco, USA to a Nigerian Digital Technology Exchange Programme Hub known as Nigeria Startup House.

TIMELINE

Monday:

The Honourable Minister started the week with a brainstorm session with some of his aides to discuss a number of new initiatives in the Ministry towards fine-tuning them for effective delivery.
Following this session, he headed to the State House, Presidential Villa to attend the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Tuesday:

Dr. Tijani started the day by attending a meeting of the Special Presidential Panel on Social Investment, hosted by Wale Edun, the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy.
He then had a press interview session to highlight the key initiatives of his Ministry as outlined in his Strategic Blueprint, while noting his achievements as we head towards the first anniversary of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
After this, he joined other cabinet members at the State House, Presidential Villa, for the concluding session of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting which started on Monday.
Following the conclusion of the FEC Meeting, Dr. Tijani later announced two important approvals given by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu which offers significant opportunities for Nigeria’s digital startup ecosystem. The announcements are:

a). Launch of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that will support the delivery of an additional 90,000km of fibre-optic cable to complement Nigeria’s existing connectivity infrastructure and deliver a stronger national backbone for universal access to the internet across the country.

b). Conversion of an existing property of the Federal Government in San Francisco, California, USA to a Nigerian Digital Technology Exchange Programme Hub (Nigeria Startup House). The House will be managed by a consortium of Nigerian digital technology companies who will provide non-public funding for the operations of the Startup House.

“Last week, the Honourable Minister’s activities focused on the Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Capital and Infrastructure pillar objectives of his Strategic Blueprint as he received approval to launch a SPV – made up of partners and stakeholders from the government and private sector – that will facilitate the increase of Nigeria’s connectivity backbone to a minimum of 125,000km.

His engagements with NIPOST, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and others underscore Dr. Tijani’s efforts towards leveraging innovation and technology for increased productivity and growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.”

Wednesday:

The Honourable Minister held a strategy workshop with the team from NIPOST led by the Postmaster General, Tola Odeyemi. The meeting focused on the next steps towards optimising the organisation’s assets with a view to designing the most effective organisational model and proffering solutions towards reimagining it as the engine for Nigeria’s economic prosperity.
Dr. Tijani later met with representatives of telecoms companies in Nigeria to deliberate on issues around improving quality of service to customers and addressing the impact of macroeconomic challenges facing operators in the telecoms industry.

Thursday:

Dr. Tijani announced the commencement of the second cohort of 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme – a key initiative of the Ministry targeted at positioning Nigeria as a net-exporter of talent. Following the announcement, the Honourable Minister expressed his appreciation to members of the cohort for their patience as the 3MTT team worked to ensure the smooth implementation of their training. The 3MTT programme has so far trained 30,000 Fellows in key technical skills in demand and will be adding another 270,000 Fellows in this second phase over the next 12 to 18 months.

Friday:

The Honourable Minister had a virtual meeting with representatives of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to discuss ways of improving healthcare service delivery to the people by leveraging technology. The meeting was attended by Yomi Arowosafe, Secretary USPF; Jane Egerton-Idehen, Managing Director/CEO, NigComSat; and Abdulmalik Suleiman, representing Galaxy Backbone Managing Director/CEO, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju. The NPHCDA team which was led by its Director General, Dr. Muyi Aina, also had Dr. Oritseweyimi Ogbe, Director, Special Duties, NPHCDA, and Oghenetega Otomiewo, Technical Adviser, NPHCDA in attendance.

Posted on:

May 20, 2024