#WeekInReview: Full Week Recap of Activities of the Honourable Minister, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani (Vol. 64)

Back to About Us > #WeekInReview: Full Week Recap of Activities of the Honourable Minister, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani (Vol. 64)

Posted on:

November 18, 2024

INTRO

With 2024 coming to a close, the Honourable Minister and his team are focusing their activities on taking stock of achievements this year – using the Ministry’s Strategic Blueprint document as a benchmark – and ensuring that they are aligned in their commitment to deliver optimal budget performance in the Ministry. This they are doing as they lay out plans to deliver on their objectives in the coming year.

KEY FOCUS

Efficiency: To ensure organisational and financial efficiency in the Ministry, Dr. Tijani met with heads of departments and agencies to review budget performance and also brainstorm on innovative ideas aimed at optimally utilising available resources towards accelerating the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.

TIMELINE

Monday:

As we look ahead into the coming year, the Honourable Minister hosted heads of agencies and their leadership team to appraise current budget performance and review proposed budget for year 2025. To this end, he received presentations from various agency team heads and delegations which include Yomi Arowosafe, Secretary, Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF); Dr. Vincent Olatunji, National Commissioner/CEO, Nigeria Data Protection Commission; and Jane Egerton-Idehen, MD/CEO, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NigComSat).
Following these review meetings, he hosted in his office Elsie Attafuah, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative, Nigeria, to further share perspectives on the progress of the proposed National Digital Public Infrastructure Centre of Excellence and other initiatives targeted at boosting the growth of our digital economy.

Tuesday:

Dr. Tijani joined the Economic Management Team meeting at the office of the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun.
Then he attended the statutory meeting of the National Frequency Management Council (NFMC) to discuss issues around effective allocation of spectrum. NFMC, the apex body for spectrum administration in Nigeria, assists and advises the Minister on National Frequency Management matters.
Following this, he presided over an introductory meeting with representatives of Flour Mills of Nigeria to discuss possible areas of support for the Ministry’s programmes in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Innovation, and talent development.
The Honourable Minister had a virtual meeting with Tomas Lamanauskas, Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to deliberate on the selection of Advisory Board Members for the Subsea Cable Advisory Board.
He later met with Ibrahim Adeyanju, MD/CEO, Galaxy Backbone Limited, to discuss and decide on critical steps needed to be taken so as to guarantee effective service delivery.
Next was the announcement of the kick-off of enrollment for Cohort 3 of the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme. With this milestone announcement, an additional 90,000 programme Fellows will join the training pool as the Ministry moves steadily on its journey towards strategically positioning Nigeria as a net-exporter of technical talent.
Dr. Tijani had a meeting with Prof. Goselle Obed Nanjul, Plateau State Honourable Commissioner for Science, Technology, and Innovation, where both parties agreed to work together to deepen cooperation between the Ministry and the government of the North Central State. There shall be a follow-up session on this engagement which will include the Executive Governor of the State, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang.

Wednesday:

On Wednesday, the Honourable Minister continued his meetings with heads of agencies under his Ministry, and their representatives, to assess their 2024 budget performance and dissect proposed budget for the coming year. Agency heads who made presentations in this regard were Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, DG, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); Joke Ateh, Head Procurement, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); and Tola Odeyemi, Postmaster General, Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST).

Last week, the Honourable Minister’s activities focused on the Innovation pillar objective of his Strategic Blueprint as he received various presentations from agency heads and brainstormed on plans towards the continued implementation of the Ministry’s strategy for the coming year.

Thursday:

His first engagement on Thursday was to deliver a virtual goodwill address to participants at the Lagos Aggrinovation Summit 1.0 themed, ‘Shaping Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems For The Next Generation’. Dr. Tijani’s address focused on the critical importance of innovation and technology in the agriculture sector.
He hosted state government officials, including commissioners, heads of agencies, and Local Government Chairmen – across 7 states in Nigeria – to discuss and share ideas on how best to implement the Ministry’s Project 774 LG Connectivity initiative. The primary objective of this initiative is to provide all Local Government Area Secretariats across the country with reliable internet access and digital literacy resources required to deliver efficient public services.
Following this event, he attended this week’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by H.E President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
His next engagement was the monthly #DevsInGovernment session which saw State and Local Government officials join technologists from across the civil service to create technology solutions to pressing challenges. Solutions presented include applications to combat the challenge of insecurity in LGAs, utilise Nigeria’s satellite capabilities to track flooding and guarantee food security, collate data on rural farmers and agricultural products, and usage of drones to increase agricultural yield.

Friday:

The Honourable Minister gave a virtual keynote speech at the Lagos Business School (LBS) Alumni Association event where he highlighted the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in boosting productivity across sectors and contributing to the overall economy.
He then hosted a team of Technical Assistants saddled with the responsibility of supporting and strengthening the activities of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) to guarantee effective service delivery. Present at the meeting were Yomi Arowosafe, Secretary, USPF; Arazim Sheu, Senior Manager, IT Project, USPF; Jaafar Yahaya, Senior Manager, Digital Nigeria Centre, and others.
Next was his meeting with Jonas Haertle and Brook Boyer from the Office of Nikhil Seth, Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) to prep for the organisation’s upcoming board meeting.
In continuation of the Ministry’s budget performance review exercise, Dr. Tijani met with David Daser, President/CEO, Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) and his team to outline innovative ways in which the Institute can deliver on set objectives.

Sunday:

On Sunday, the Honourable Minister joined H.E President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in a meeting with Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi at State House, Abuja. The engagement focused on the critical role technology plays in development, and exploring opportunities to deepen collaboration with India in view of their strength in technology and economic similarities.

Posted on:

November 18, 2024