INTRO [May 20 – 24]

Dr. Tijani ramped up his investment drive as he visited Estonia on the invitation of the government to explore opportunities for partnership and collaboration towards achieving our shared prosperity. The visit presented a remarkable opportunity to share ideas and take learnings on the challenges, benefits, and resources required to build digitally connected societies.

KEY FOCUS

Digital Transformation: As we implement various initiatives to facilitate the increased use of technology in government, the Honourable Minister engaged with partners in Estonia this past week, to explore knowledge sharing opportunities and secure partnerships to support Nigeria’s efforts to build efficiency in our public service by deploying Digital Public Infrastructure. 

TIMELINE

Monday:

• The Honourable Minister kicked off his week in Estonia where he planned to engage with private and public sector organisations on diverse issues towards the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy. His first engagement was a meeting with Estonia’s Ambassador-at-Large for Digital Affairs, Dr. Nele Leosk who highlighted the European Union’s journey of partnership with Africa while noting possible areas of collaboration in the future.
• Following this meeting, the Honourable Minister attended the e-Estonia showroom briefing at the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he was shown the basic features, functionalities, and capabilities of the X-Road, an open-source software and ecosystem solution that provides unified and secure data exchange between private and public sector organisations.
• Dr. Tijani was later hosted to a dinner meeting by organisers of the Africa Business Forum, an event he was scheduled to participate in while in Estonia.

Tuesday:

• Dr. Tijani attended the Africa Business Forum, an event targeted at initiating, nurturing and expanding business relations between Estonia and Africa. Key topics of discussions at the Forum include promoting connectivity, facilitating startup ecosystems, and building sustainable businesses across Africa. At the Forum, the Honourable Minister joined a discussion panel where he spoke on the role that Africa must play towards building a prosperous future using the power of technology and innovation. Other members of the panel which was moderated by Mariin Ratnik, Undersecretary for Economic and Development Affairs, Estonia, are Mercy Wanjau, MBS, Secretary to the Cabinet of Kenya; Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Estonia; and Maryprisca Mahundi, Deputy Minister of Information, Communication and IT, Tanzania.
• The Honourable Minister’s next engagement was a meeting with representatives of IT companies in Estonia where discussions centred on how the European country’s scalable approach can be adapted to Nigeria’s needs, particularly on how e-Governance has resulted in productivity and high efficiency. 
• Dr. Tijani then met with Estonia’s Secretary of State, Taimar Peterkop. Discussions at the meeting focused on issues around the introduction of digital government and e-Cabinet Government Office.
• He was later hosted to a lunch meeting by Estonia’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Information Technology, Tiit Riisalo.

Wednesday:

• The Honourable Minister started his day by joining a virtual meeting of the Special Presidential Panel on Social Investments. A key part of the discussions included an update on plans to engage telecoms operators in onboarding beneficiaries and registering their National Identification Number (NIN).
• He later joined a panel discussion at the Conference themed, ‘Uncovering the Potential of Digital Public Infrastructure’. There, Dr. Tijani spoke about steps taken by the government to implement Digital Public Infrastructure in Nigeria with a view to improving public service to the people. Furthermore, he highlighted the potential impact of the Nigerian Stack which, according to the Honourable Minister, will not only deliver government services, but also drive innovation and prosperity for Nigeria.  Dr. Tijani was joined on the panel by Dr. Nele Leosk, Ambassador-at-Large for Digital Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Estonia, and Tiago C. Peixoto, Coordinator for Digital Government Services, Western Balkans and the EU, the World Bank. Following the panel, he met with representatives of the Estonian e-Governance Academy. Both parties discussed areas of partnership between the Academy and the Federal Ministry. The e-Governance Academy was represented by Hannes Astok, Executive Director, Chairman of the Management Board, and Tiina Viiderfeld, Client Relations Manager.
• The Honourable Minister’s next meeting was with top executives of technology companies in Estonia representing the country’s ICT Cluster. The meeting focused on the role of the private sector in developing Estonia’s e-Governance framework. Both parties identified opportunities for training and capacity building so as to plug the manpower gap in the sector through targeted initiatives such as exchange programmes. Another outcome of the meeting was a decision by both parties to create a platform for robust interaction and co-creation engagements between private companies in Estonia and Nigeria.
• Dr. Tijani’s final engagement on Wednesday was a meeting with representatives of Digital Nation – a digital change advisory network – at the 10th e-Governance Conference which took place in Tartu. Following this meeting he headed back to Tallinn, capital city of Estonia.