Honourable Minsiter for Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has said the key to Nigeria’s economy and the development of every other sector in the country lies solely on the Ministry.
Tijani emphasized that Nigeria has abundant talent globally, but lacks opportunities for these talented individuals within the country. He urged the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy to work together with agencies and stakeholders to formulate policies that support the growth of the nation’s digital economy.
Minister Tijani expressed that his agenda’s essence is to bring together the achievements made by the ministry since its establishment, involving contributions from both private and public sectors, with the aim of enhancing the nation’s economy.
Tijani further stressed that the Ministry is the key to every other sector in Nigeria as regards technological development.
FULL SPEECH BELOW
It is time for Nigeria to prioritize the Ministry of communications.
It is impossible for us to move forward if we do not access what was accomplished already.
The best way to get started is to see what we’ve done well, what we’ve not done well and what we’ve probably done averagely well and then come together to see how we can improve. And I think there is no ministry in Nigeria that has to do that except this ministry.
This is the first time Nigeria has the opportunity to effectively compete with other countries in the world.
We have a unique opportunity because what is driving economics across the world today is Digital Technology. Any country that is productive, that is prosperous, you will find they have a very clear strategy on what to they are doing in digital technology and innovation.
Every stakeholder in the ministry holds the key to the future of Nigeria. Whether Nigeria would be prosperous or not, lies solely on us. What we do with Digital Technology would determine if Nigeria will be safe and secured from the security point of view.
What we do in digital technology has a lot to contribute to wether we can feed our people by elevating the outcome of our agricultural sector.
What we do today in digital technology I will be responsible for wether Nigeria can drive a better learning outcome from the educational sector.
The reality is that the way people learn today and the tools we learn with has already changed. The way knowledge is created, stored and shared is already changed and it’s dependent on digital technologies and the platforms and infrastructures around them. Same goes for transportation and other sector.
What people say about the country on social media is our responsibility. So working with the right department to ensure we sensitize and orientate our people.
The best way to make public services effective is to use technology that connects our citizens to the services they all need in a dignifying way.
We will come up with policies that will make it easy for people to access the government services.
We are in a strong position to show the rest of the government what productivity can be. No sector can be productive without technology advantage.
I am not here as a technocrat who is looking to shake things up, I am here as a technocrat to understand the gains that we’ve made since the inception of this ministry, both in the private and public sector, and see how we can harmonize it to help give Nigerians the opportunity they actually deserve. And there is no better way to do this but through collaboration and network.
No country can come strong technologically without collaboration. The ministry can formulate policies and regulations, but if we are not working closely with the industries, the things we want to see will never be to the point where prosperity thrives.
If we don’t collaborate with countries all over the world, we are gonna be limited by what is available in terms of knowledge.
Talent is not really our problem, but how to connect them to opportunities available.
As I wrap up, if we all accept and understand that this ministry is critical to the future of Nigeria, we then understand that we are the face of the ministry, which means as much as possible, we have to update and upgrade our skills, ensure we are connected to modern knowledge and most importantly ensure there is dignity in everything we do because we will be partnering with the best organization and institution in the world. We ought to represent Nigeria well.
I am extremely excited to be here. I believe the work we’ve been doing in the last 14 years, both in the private and public sector, that we have a Unique opportunity to intentionally connect it, that as we formulate policies and regulations that can protect Nigeria from the vices that comes with digital technology. But at the same time, that the policy would open up opportunity for more people to actually build up into prosperity. This is my agenda and I will be looking forward to working with each and everyone of you, with all the partners I have to upskill ourselves to get the best knowledge and connect with people all over the world, while we ensure that we bring benefit back home.
Thank you very much.
The short briefing was presided over by the Director of press for Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, Ekaite Umoh.
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The conference also saw the participation of leaders of various agencies within the Ministry. Notably, heads of ministries such as NITDA, GBB, and others were present, along with the permanent secretary of the ministry.
Born on July 20, 1977, Olatunbosun Tijani currently holds the position of Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy for the Federal Republic of Nigeria. His appointment to this role was made by the Nigerian president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on August 16, 2023.
Tijani is a Nigerian-British entrepreneur and co-founder of Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), the leading Pan-African innovation and technology centre. Co-Creation Hub works at the forefront of accelerating the application of innovation and social capital for a better society.
He is widely acknowledged as a pioneer and industry leader in the African technology ecosystem and was named as one of the 100 Most Influential People on the continent by New Africa Magazine.
In August 2016, he orchestrated Mark Zuckerberg’s inaugural visit to Nigeria, aimed at positioning Africa on the global technology landscape. He has also welcomed other prominent global tech figures to Nigeria, such as former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in 2019. Most notably, in June 2023, he organized a fireside chat with Bill Gates, Microsoft’s founder and co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.