INTRO

Last week, the Honourable Minister’s engagements focused on harnessing the transformative power of technology to strengthen Nigeria’s agricultural productivity. From policy-level discussions to grassroots-focused initiatives, we advanced our mission to enhance the livelihoods of our people by building sustainable tech-enabled solutions. These efforts reflect his commitment to deploying innovation for inclusive growth across key sectors of the economy.

TIMELINE

Monday, April 28 – Strengthening Global Partnerships for Innovation

– Dr. Tijani received the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, Jr. in his office to discuss ongoing collaboration between both our countries in the areas of technology, innovation and digital infrastructure.

– Next was a meeting with the Gates Foundation to discuss strategies aimed at increasing the impact of our Ministry’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiatives. The Gates Foundation team was represented by Uche Amaonwu, Director, Nigeria Country Office and Olubunmi Okunowo, Senior Program Officer.

Tuesday, April 29 – Commissioning of the NITDA Community ICT Centre in Ibadan

– On Tuesday, he joined Her Excellency, the First Lady of Nigeria, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu; Engr. Oluseyi Makinde, Executive Governor of Oyo State, and other notable guests at the official commissioning of the Community ICT Centre, Ibadan, Oyo State. The Community ICT Centre, which is in alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision to create opportunities for Nigeria’s youthful population, is facilitated by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

Wednesday, April 30 – Empowering Girls Through ICT Innovation

– The Honourable Minister attended the finale of the second edition of the Girls in ICT Competition where Team Check Up, made up of students from Trinity Secondary School, Anambra State emerged national champions. The students namely, Mary-Jane Ogbuke, Karen Ifeanacho, and Chiamaka Onwusiribe edged out others by building a smart health monitoring solution that tracks vital signs and alerts medical professionals in real-time.

Team CyberTrash, from the Federal Government Girls College, Jalingo, Taraba State, were the first runners up, developing a solar-powered, AI-enabled robotic device that cleans plastic waste from water bodies, while students from Government Science and Technical College, Irrua, Edo State, emerged second runner-up with a tech-enabled waste management solution that detects bin fill levels, enabling timely disposal.

– Later was a dinner event to host participants of the Girls in ICT Competition. At the event, the establishment of Code Clubs in schools across the country was announced. This is to support students in creating tech solutions that will shape Nigeria’s future.

Thursday, May 1 – Launching the #Hack4Livestock Initiative

– To support the growth of the livestock industry in Nigeria, Dr. Tijani announced the #Hack4Livestock initiative, a national hackathon for interested stakeholders to tackle real-world challenges across the livestock sector. Developers, data scientists, agricultural experts, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders can apply to be part of the hackathon using the link HERE.

The initiative is supported by the Nigeria AI Collective, Luminate, and Ford Foundation.

Friday, May 2 – Strategic Dialogue with IITA on Tech for Agriculture

–As our nation works towards improving food security, the role of technology in boosting productivity is critical. This informed my visit to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan on Friday to see their work in demonstrating how technological innovation can transform agricultural productivity in Nigeria.

As a pioneering institution working at the intersection of research and innovation—IITA is developing tech-enabled solutions that improve crop yields, farming practices, and rural livelihoods and we will be exploring opportunities to collaborate with them to scale these technologies.

The IITA leadership was led by Hilde Koper, Acting DG/DDG, Corporate Services and Dr. Kenton Dashiell, DDG, Partnerships for Delivery, IITA Western Africa among other senior staff who took the Honourable Minister on a tour of their facilities and showcased their ongoing research and technological innovation.