#WeekInReview: Full Week Recap of Activities of the Honourable Minister, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani (Vol. 71)

Back to About Us > #WeekInReview: Full Week Recap of Activities of the Honourable Minister, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani (Vol. 71)

Posted on:

January 27, 2025

INTRO

The Honourable Minister continued his engagement with a broad range of stakeholders willing and ready to collaborate with the Ministry towards delivering on its growth and developmental goals.

A highlight of his week, was hosting the Nigeria-French Technology Roundtable where we engaged with our European counterparts to discuss broad issues around connectivity, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and investments in the start-up ecosystem. These engagements with international partners, will allow Nigeria position for the necessary investment towards transforming Nigeria into a $1 trillion economy.

TIMELINE

Monday:

He started the week at the unveiling of the National Certification Program for Data Protection Officers (DPOs) in Nigeria, where he highlighted the importance of capacity building and described the programme as a strategic investment in Nigerian youths. The Government is prioritising its work in increasing awareness and compliance on data privacy and security. Present at the event were Ayodele Olawande, Honourable Minister of Youth Development; Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, DG, NITDA; Jane Egerton-Idehen, MD/CEO, NIGCOMSAT; amongst others.
Following this event, he had a virtual meeting with Danish entrepreneur, Anders Holch Povisen to discuss opportunities for investments in the Nigerian technology ecosystem.
He then received a delegation from the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit (CRDCU) led by Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy and coordination and Head of CRDCU. At the meeting, which was organised to review our Ministry’s Q1-Q3 ‘24 performance, the Honourable Minister thanked the CRDCU for their work and feedback while restating the Ministry’s commitment to continue contributing significantly towards achieving H.E President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s goal of accelerating the growth of Nigeria’s economy. They spoke at length about ways to ensure that the entire volume of work being delivered by the Ministry is captured in the reporting by the CRDCU. The engaging session was attended by key stakeholders including Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo, Permanent Secretary; Directors in the Ministry, and Agency Heads from NCC, NITDA, NIPOST, NDPC, NIGCOMSAT, USPF, and GBB.
Next was a pre-budget defence briefing meeting with the Permanent Secretary, Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo and Directors from the Ministry.
Dr. Tijani later received Dr. Armstrong Takang, CEO, Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), to further discuss areas of collaboration between both organisations.

Tuesday:

The Honourable Minister appeared before a Joint Committee on ICT & Cybersecurity and Communications from both chambers of the National Assembly, to defend the Ministry’s 2025 budget, and to also highlight the status and positive impact of a number of our initiatives on Nigerians. At the session, he emphasised the importance of the technology and ICT sector in Nigeria, and its potential to significantly grow the nation’s GDP. The Joint Committee was chaired by Sen. Shuaib Afolabi Salisu and Hon. Adedeji Stanley Olajide, who lead the ICT & Cybersecurity Committees, and Sen. Ikra Aliyu Bilbis and Hon. Peter Akpatason, who lead the Communications Committees.
He later received in his office, Inga Stefanowicz, Head of Section Green and Digital Economy at EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, and her team to discuss a range of issues centred around infrastructure development and management of the proposed 90,000km fibre-optic cable Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), workforce training and SME development, amongst others.

Wednesday:

On Wednesday, he signed a memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC), a leading provider of digital infrastructure and connectivity solutions, to support their efforts towards, amongst other things, delivering last mile internet connectivity to Nigerian homes and businesses. The WIOCC team was led by Darren Bedford, the company’s Group Chief Development Officer.
Following this event, the Honourable Minister received a delegation from Starlink/SpaceX to discuss their operations in Nigeria. The team was accompanied by Gbenga Oyebode, founder and counsel at Aluko & Oyebode law firm. The Starlink/SpaceX team include David Goldman, Vice President, Satellite Policy, SpaceX; Greg Kalbaugh, Director, Satellite Policy, SpaceX; and Ted Price, Senior Counsel, SpaceX.
Next was a meeting with members of the NBAN Desk to assess plans for the launch of the National Broadband Alliance for Nigeria (NBAN) scheduled to take place in February. NBAN is a multi-stakeholder collaboration aimed at overcoming obstacles in achieving universal broadband access.
Dr. Tijani met with members of delegation from the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) to discuss areas of collaboration with the Ministry, and to foster partnerships for the development of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), IoT, Blockchain, Robotics, Quantum Computing and Space Technologies. The JETRO delegation had Norihiko Ishiguro, Chairman/CEO; Takao Seki, Senior Director, Global Strategy (Africa); Takashi Oku, Trade Commissioner & Managing Director; Hokuto Shibata, Deputy Trade Commissioner; and Michael Anusa, General Manager, JETRO Lagos.
Following this meeting, he received a courtesy call from technology entrepreneur, Leo Stan Ekeh.

Last week, the Honourable Minister’s activities focused on the Trade pillar objective of the Ministry’s Strategic Blueprint as he collaborated with the French Embassy in Nigeria to organise the Nigeria-French Technology Roundtable targeted at building strong relationships among key players in the innovation and technology ecosystem of both countries towards achieving shared prosperity.

Thursday:

He inaugurated the Committee on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Framework & Standards, whose members have the responsibility to, amongst other things, identify issues and proffer solutions, and review the framework for DPI and incorporate feedback at the committee level. The committee members were drawn from the Ministry, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB).
The Honourable Minister later had an update meeting with David Daser, CEO, Digital Bridge Institute (DBI).
He received a briefing on Nigeria’s participation at the 2025 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) scheduled to take place in Geneva, Switzerland. Participants at the meeting include Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo, Permanent Secretary; Olatokunboh Oyeleye, Director, Digital Economy, Nigerian Communications Commission; Ifeoma Uzochukwu, Senior Manager, International Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission; and others.
Dr. Tijani met virtually with representatives of Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) including the World Bank Group, African Development Bank (AfDB), International Finance Corporation (IFC), Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the European Union delegation to engage and align on the proposed $2Billion Fibre Fund targeted at increasing Nigeria’s fibre-optic network from 35,000km to 125,000km, positioning it among Africa’s top three largest fibre infrastructure networks.
He received a presentation by the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) team spotlighting the key aspects of Nigeria’s Access Gap Cluster Map.

Friday:

The Ministry hosted the Nigeria-French Technology Roundtable, which was organised to deliberate on big ticket issues in the areas of connectivity, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and investments in the start-up ecosystem. Participants at the Roundtable highlighted the benefits of a vibrant technology ecosystem, opportunities for collaboration, and preparations for Nigeria’s participation in the 2025 edition of VivaTech, Europe’s biggest startup & tech event. In his remarks, the Honourable Minister emphasised the importance of collaborating with France to create a framework for innovation that drives inclusive and sustainable economic growth. The event, which was attended by key stakeholders across the technology sector, was organised in partnership with the French Embassy with support from Glo.
He later visited Smart City Plc., founded by pioneer technology entrepreneur, Sir Demola Aladekomo. There, he commended the power of the founder’s vision and restated the Ministry’s commitment towards providing support for innovative ideas and solutions with the potential to improve our society and accelerate the growth of our economy.

Saturday:

He traveled to Ibadan to participate in the inaugural edition of the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Nigeria (RAIN) Summit organised by Dr. Olusola Ayoola. In his keynote speech, the Honourable Minister restated the Government’s commitment towards positioning Nigeria at the forefront of the global technology transformation.
Following the Summit, he spent time with community members of the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme in Oyo State, where he assured participants of the Ministry’s plan to scale the programme for the benefit of Nigerians.

Posted on:

January 27, 2025