BY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, says Federal Government is committed in training over 1.1 million Enugu State residents on digital skills within three years.
Tijani disclosed this when he led officials of the ministry on a courtesy visit to Gov. Peter Mbah at the Government House, Enugu, on Thursday.
He said the training would be through the National Information Technology Development Agency’s (NITDA) Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL) Initiative.
According to him, this is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to drive digital literacy across the country, to ensure that citizens are comfortable using digital tools.
“We are committed to train 1,155,000 residents of Enugu State before 2027 in essential digital skills. Our focus will be on artisans, market women; civil servants; students, and other underserved groups,” he said.
Extolling Mbah’s investment on digital economy, Tijani said that Enugu State was fast becoming a benchmark for how sub-national governments could take bold steps to build thriving, inclusive and tech-driven societies.
“Mbah’s broader achievements in infrastructure, education, and economic reform are commendable.
“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.
“They are reflection of his bold vision to transform Enugu into a $30 billion economy in eight years.
“This work among many others, align closely with Renewed Hope Agenda of our President, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, as well as the Strategic Blueprint of our ministry,” he said.
The minister said that the Federal Government was investing heavily in digital infrastructure, because without reliable access, the promise of the digital economy could not be fully realised.
“So we are also building frameworks to harness emerging technologies like Al, to drive productivity, innovation and inclusive growth.
“We are scaling digital skills and literacy, so more Nigerians, especially our youth, can compete and thrive in the global digital workforce,” he said.
Tijani said that the ministry received over 14,000 applications from Enugu State residents from the ministry’s 3MTT Programme so far.
He said that they had already trained 1,762 fellows and planned to expand into the scale-up phase, by training of over 150,000 fellows in Enugu State alone.
The minister also announce to collaborate with the Enugu State Government through the 774 Connectivity project, to provide internet connectivity to all 17 Local Government Secretariats in Enugu State – powered by Galaxy Backbone and NIGCOMSAT.
“Galaxy Backbone will partner with the state to establish a Digital Innovation Complex in Enugu.
“There will also be laying of a further 15km of fibre optic cable to selected institutions to provide a Computer Laboratory in one Secondary School and one Tertiary Institution in the state,” he said.
Tijani reiterated the ministry’s commitment to establish Artificial Intelligence Regional Centre for the South-East at the African Regional Centre, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
“Considering the importance of cyber-security to our digital economy, we will be training 100 people in Enugu State with the in-demand skills for cyber-security and infrastructure defence, as part of the NITDA Cyber-security Training Programme.
“We will be establishing a joint committee, comprising representatives from the ministry and the Enugu State Government, to drive the implementation of these projects,” he said.
Responding, Mbah reiterated his administration’s commitment to harnessing the full potential of the digital economy, towards the goal of diversifying revenue streams and growing Enugu into a $30 billion economy.
He said that the government’s embrace of innovation was equally evident in its Command and Control Centre, where it had deployed the tools of technology to secure 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,” the governor said.
He said that the state was also in the final stages of signing a 25-year facility lease with NCC for the Digital Bridge Institute and the Digital Industrial Park.
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