#WeekInReview: Full Week Recap of Activities of the Honourable Minister, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani (Vol. 50)

Back to About Us > #WeekInReview: Full Week Recap of Activities of the Honourable Minister, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani (Vol. 50)

Posted on:

August 19, 2024

INTRO

It’s a milestone edition of our Week in Review as we release the 50th instalment since the Honourable Minister’s swearing in to office last August by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The weekly publication, which is available on all our communication touchpoints in the Ministry, including our website and on social media, serves as an affirmation of his commitment to transparency and accountability as he works to deliver on the mandate given by the President for the benefit of all Nigerians.

As he marks his first year in office, Dr. Tijani is grateful for the support received from all partners and stakeholders as he continues to lay a solid foundation for the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy. The Honourable Minister is confident of the progress the Ministry is set to make in the coming months as he delivers on the goals set out in his Strategic Blueprint.

KEY FOCUS

Innovation for Sustainable Development: With Innovation as the flywheel for sustainable development for forward-looking nations, the Honourable Minister engaged with representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Abuja and Lagos as they deliver on their commitment to support Nigeria in co-creating innovative solutions for transformative development.

His conversations with young innovators at the UNDP Innovation Hub was nothing short of inspiring, therefore, he is confident that, with the continued support of partners and stakeholders, Nigeria is on track to be a key actor in the global innovation and technology discourse.

TIMELINE

Monday:

The Honourable Minister’s first engagement for the week was to attend the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Later that evening, he attended a dinner reception for the five visiting foreign affairs Ministers from Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Denmark, hosted by the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria. These Nordic countries have shown particular interest and support for the key pillars of the Ministry’s strategic objectives, and are committed to collaborating with Nigeria to achieve set goals.

Tuesday:

Dr. Tijani had an extensive meeting with Tola Odeyemi, Postmaster General/CEO, Nigerian Postal Service, to discuss next steps in the efforts to reimagine the postal service towards delivering efficient and quality service to the people.

Wednesday:

The Honourable Minister met with Elsie Attafuah, Resident Representative, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to discuss collaborative efforts in driving Nigeria’s innovation & digital transformation including their support for job placements in the 3MTT Programme through the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP).

He then joined a virtual update meeting with the team saddled with the responsibility of managing the Ministry’s Web Design Standard project towards developing a design system and visual template for all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of Government. The team reviewed the work plan and deliberated on next steps towards delivering on set objectives.

Last week, the Honourable Minister’s activities focused on the Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Capital pillar objective of the Ministry’s Strategic Blueprint as he engaged several international partners including the 5 Foreign Ministers of the Nordic countries, as well as a lunch meeting with H.E Tobias Billstrom, the Swedish Foreign Minister who is on an official visit to Nigeria.

He also had high level engagements with Ndiamé Diop, the new World Bank’s Country Director for Nigeria, who visited his office to discuss ongoing partnership projects, and Ambassador Richard Mills, Jr., the newly appointed United States Ambassador to Nigeria, who expressed commitment to support the Ministry’s strategic initiatives towards achieving shared prosperity.

Thursday:

The Honourable Minister spent the day in Lagos, where he was hosted to a lunch meeting with the Swedish delegation comprising of H.E Tobias Billstrom, the Swedish Foreign Minister, and H.E. Annika Hahn-Englund, Ambassador of Sweden to Nigeria. Conversations at the meeting was a follow up on engagements during his recent visit to Sweden where both parties discussed issues of mutual benefit to both countries, especially in the technology and innovation sector. Nigeria is Sweden’s second largest trading partner on the African continent, operating a trade surplus with the Nordic country and we are exploring further opportunities for collaboration.
Following the lunch, Dr. Tijani and H.E Tobias Billstrom headed to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Innovation Hub in Ikoyi, accompanied by the rest of the Swedish delegation. They were joined by Tunbosun Alake, Lagos State Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology. They were taken on a tour of the facility by Elsie Attafuah, UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, who highlighted the importance of innovation hubs such as theirs in promoting creativity, strengthening the complexity of our economy, and diversifying Nigeria’s pathway to prosperity. The Honourable Minister also had a chance to meet some of the startups currently working out of the hub. There he shared with them some experience from his time running CcHUB.

Friday:

Back in Abuja, he received in his office Ndiamé Diop, the new World Bank’s Country Director for Nigeria. Discussions at the meeting focused on the status of ongoing initiatives and how best to effectively deliver on our set objectives. Dr. Tijani also welcomed Ambassador Richard Mills, Jr., the newly appointed United States Ambassador to Nigeria, who paid a courtesy visit to his office. They discussed ongoing U.S. support for a number of the Ministry’s initiatives and the upcoming U.S.-Nigeria Artificial Intelligence (AI) Conference. They also shared perspectives on how the U.S. can support the Ministry’s initiatives, particularly the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme and deploying broadband internet connectivity across Nigeria.

Posted on:

August 19, 2024