Hot SourceMinister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has commended the fast transitioning of Enugu State into a digital economy, saying the state was fast becoming a standard for tech-driven societies under Governor Peter Mbah’s leadership.
This was even as Governor Mbah restated the preparedness of his administration to partner the federal government on a number of projects and initiatives to consolidate the gains of the past 22 months.
The Minister spoke during a working visit to Enugu State Government House on Thursday.
“Enugu is fast becoming a benchmark for how subnational governments can take bold steps to build thriving, inclusive, and tech-driven societies.
“Governor Mbah’s broader achievements in infrastructure, education, and economic reforms are commendable. Perhaps, most exciting for us at the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy is his intentional focus on building a digital economy.
“A strong example of this is the Smart Green Schools, recently inaugurated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu alongside the waiving of Right of Way fees for fibre networks. These initiatives clearly demonstrate the governor’s commitment to equipping young people with the tools and spaces they need to thrive in the digital economy – and are a reflection of his bold vision to transform Enugu into a $30bn economy in eight years,” Dr. Tijani stated.
He said the FG was, therefore, very eager to collaborate with the state on various initiatives to grow the digital economy.
“First, through the Project 774 Connectivity, we will provide internet connectivity in all 17 local government secretariats in Enugu State powered by Galaxy Backbone (GBB) and Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMAT).
“Galaxy Backbone will partner with the state to establish a Digital Innovation Complex in Enugu, which will integrate a Tier Three III Data Centre; a co-working space for entrepreneurs, Small and Medium Enterprises, and tech startups; an Incubation hub, offering mentorship, funding access, and acceleration support and a training centre for digital skills and workforce development,” he stated.
The Minister said the Galaxy Blackbone would provide internet connectivity to over 200 state-owed institutions, including Smart Green Schools, Primary Health Centres, the State Secretariat, and Government House.
He added that the Ministry would, through the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), partner with the state to invest in infrastructure support such as connection of presently unconnected rural areas.
He announced that FG would establish an Artificial Intelligence Regional Centre for the South East at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, while the Ministry would launch the already established South East Zonal Office of the National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA) in Enugu in the next two months as well as plans to train 100 persons in the state on in-demand skills for cybersecurity and infrastructure defence.
“Finally, we are committing to train 1,555,000 residents of Enugu State in essential digital skills through NUTDA’s Digital Literacy for All initiative before 2027,” Tinaji concluded.
Speaking, Governor Mbah reiterated his administration’s commitment to harnessing the full potentials of the digital economy towards the goal of diversifying revenue streams and growing Enugu into a $30bn economy.
Besides the Smart Green Schools aimed at imbuing pupils with knowledge and skills that sufficiently prepare them for the dynamic workplace of tomorrow, Mbah said the state had fully transitioned to an e-governance platform, a centralised portal that has improved efficiency and transparency, ensured workflow automation and inter-MDA integration.
“Our embrace of innovation is equally evident in our Command and Control Centre, where we have deployed the tools of technology to secure our streets and neighbourhoods through a round-the-clock surveillance system.
“We are in the process of integrating the Command and Control Centre with the NCC Emergency Communication Centre (ECC) to operationalise the Rapid Response Squad (RRS). This allows real-time emergency coordination via the national 112 emergency number, strengthening public safety and inter-agency communication.”
He added that the state was also in the final stages of signing a 25-year facility lease with NCC for the Digital Bridge Institute and Digital Industrial Park, repurposed as an Academic and Innovation Hub, Outsourcing Facility, and Digital Training Centre.
