Dr Bosun Tijani was appointed by president Bola Ahmed Tinubu in August 2023 to stir the ship of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and taking over the baton from Prof Isa Pantami who is credited with stellar innovation in the ministry. It is no doubt that no Nigerian could have filled that space like Dr Bosun at a time when the country was gathering momentum to lead the technology revolution in the world. His wealth of experience within the technology ecosystem, his direct and indirect influence in building some of the tech startups that form the pillars of the Nigerian startup scene today cannot be shelved aside by any serious government that seeks to exploit the immense potentials that abound in the country tech.
Principally, his influences were made largely through CcHub, Nigeria’s first tech hub founded by Tijani in 2010 which has now grown to the largest in Africa with a physical presence in other African countries including Kenya.
The young, technovator amplified his vision of facilitating the country’s technological development through unlocking its potentials, he shared the cardinal areas that his leadership titled the blueprint: Accelerating our Collective Prosperity through Technical Efficiency’ and expressed optimism that if the five pillars are critically exploited and development policies framed around them, in the next four years, the dividend will be a Nigeria with digital capabilities like most developed countries of the world.
These five pillars that are designed to spur rapid development include; “Knowledge: In a rapidly interconnected world, knowledge is the foundation upon which countries build a robust and sustainable economy. As a critical prerequisite, knowledge influences how people generate innovations and technologies that drive economic growth, expand the talent pool to drive competitiveness, improve productivity and inform evidence-based policymaking, amongst others.
“Policy: This highlights the fundamental role of policy in enabling innovation, entrepreneurship and inclusive growth. When properly designed and executed, the policy provides a platform for innovation and entrepreneurship to thrive. Effective policy provides regulatory clarity and necessary incentives for an environment where businesses and innovators are empowered to grow. Over the next four years, the policies will focus on encouraging investment, research and development and the protection of intellectual property.
“Infrastructure showcases the commitment to building the critical tool required to power a strong digital economy. We recognise that economic prosperity is linked to a robust digital foundation. Our emphasis on building stronger digital infrastructure extends beyond connecting people but also focuses on economic empowerment and creating opportunities for inclusion. With improved access to quality broadband, and upgraded critical services, this pillar will catalyse a digital transformation that impacts our entire population.
“Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Capital: In the rapidly evolving global technology landscape, innovation, entrepreneurship, and access to capital are critical components of a strong digital economy. This pillar provides a roadmap for Nigeria to harness the potential of the other three pieces as catalysts for the transformation of our digital economy. This pillar is the driving force behind the creation of an environment that encourages innovation, supports entrepreneurship and attracts the required capital to deliver on our ambitions.
“Trade pillar embodies our commitment to position Nigeria as a major player in the African and global technology ecosystem. As a rapidly growing economy, with the ICT sector contributing 18.44% to Nigeria’s GDP in Q2 2022, and e-commerce spending projected to grow to $75 billion by 2025 (Statista), our primary goal is to enhance Nigeria’s participation in the global technology trade over the next 4 years. A core part of this pillar is our aim to improve Nigeria’s ranking in the ECI (Economic Complexity Index) Technology Index.”
The 3 Million Bill Gates Programme:
The name Bill Gates needs no introduction to so many people as he is reputed as being one of the most successful entrepreneurs and technology innovator in the world. The Co-founder of Microsoft is one man who has left an indelible mark on the technology industry by founding the world’s largest personal-computer software company, and went to become one of the richest human beings on the planet.
Bill Gates was responsible for putting the layer in between the user and DOS (Disk Operating System). He pioneered the technology revolution, and became a great leader because he had a vision: A personal computer in every home, on every desk running Windows. Gates drive and his company’s determination will not give up until this happens.
People used to doubt how he made a big company from a garage, especially without a college degree. Hard work and determination is what helped him get this big, not overnight success. Gates’ impact on the technology industry and society as a whole is immeasurable. His innovations have greatly transformed the way people work, communicate and interact with each other. Through his Microsoft’s software, millions of people have been empowered to become more productive and effective both at work and personal lives. As a commentary says about Mr Gates; his vision for a world where everyone has the opportunity to live a healthy, productive life has inspired countless people around the world.
One Man who discovered technology.
Dr Bosun Tijani is leading the emergence of these new generations of Gates in Nigeria who can use technology and transform the way millions of people will live their lives under the 3MTT programme managed by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). The 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, a critical part of the Renewed Hope agenda, is aimed at building Nigeria’s technical talent backbone to power our digital economy and position Nigeria as a net talent exporter. The first phase of the programme, executed in collaboration with NITDA, will involve multiple stakeholders including fellows, training providers, partners and placement organisations.
The first phase of the programme will be executed as a fellowship model in collaboration with NITDA. We will select individuals with interest in specific skills and fund the cost of their training with training providers accepted into the programme. While, in line with the Ministry’s 1% – 10% – 100% implementation approach, this first phase will aim to train and place 30,000 technical talents, representing 1% of our overall target. It will be executed based on the framework co-created with key stakeholders across government agencies, training providers, educational institutions, development agencies and the private sector.
For many observers, this initiative led by Dr Bosun is an easy brush off since they doubt the instant result this could yield, but according to the World Economic Forum:
“With an explosion in internet penetration across the world accompanied by the proliferation of digital labour marketplaces or platforms, ‘gig-work’ is going to become the predominant mode of work. This shift has larger ramifications for low-skilled/blue-collar workers who usually comprise more than 80% of the workforce in developing countries. Internet platforms in e-commerce, food delivery, ride-sharing, logistics and so on have low barriers to entry and are creating a wealth of earning opportunities in countries where there aren’t enough jobs for low-skilled populations. Workers can engage with many platforms in parallel and maximize their earnings. Soon, digital labour marketplaces will embed financial services into their products which will make credit accessible for many people who are ignored by traditional financial institutions. Over time, technology will enable financial stability and discipline without the need for people to gain relevant knowledge. AI and machine learning advisors will become ubiquitous, constantly recommending the next gig, next investment or next online class to us, truly democratizing growth and financial wellbeing.”
It further reveals, “The one sector that has gone through breakneck change in the last two years is the workplace. Office work has been the default for knowledge workers for decades and did not warrant a full re-think until the pandemic. The pandemic tested it to its fullest but although we saw flat to increased productivity, the loss in cultural connectivity and an increase in anxiety, fatigue, apathy and burnout are all also some of the effects being felt. In a pace of rapid change, it is hard to parse out each piece independently. The pandemic also lasted long enough to truly change the talent landscape for many companies to a permanent global and hybrid one. This means that companies can seize the day in thinking about a global talent market to tap into in a realistic fashion.
Undoubtedly, it is agreeable that building digital skills across societies of countries has the potential to open up opportunities for those who have been traditionally ‘left behind’, and allows businesses to unlock technologies to their full potential to deliver their vision, including fostering diversity, equity and inclusion.
In EU countries, there is a shortage of digitally skilled talent in the labour market where 57% of enterprises find it difficult to fill ICT specialist roles (for larger enterprises, this figure stands at 64% and for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the figure is 56%).9 This trend is also observed in other parts of the world, from the United Kingdom, where over 75% of job openings request digital skills,9 to sub-Saharan Africa, where nearly 65% of job opportunities require a basic level of digital skills.10 A study has also shown that 69% of job postings in 2019 across New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, the United States and Canada were in digital occupations11 and similar trends have been reported in Europe with 85% of all EU jobs requiring.
Dr Bosun Tijani is gradually leading a digital revolution that in the next decades will usher new generation of technology disruptors from Nigeria both in transforming the country’s economic advancement and providing value to the global market. Nigeria is gearing towards transforming its export base from commodity to technology driven human resource. For a country’s with a growing population that is rank the third highest in the next 20 years, a generation of young technology savvy population will not only curb the fear of national distress but become a world economic giant.
There are greener days ahead.
by Simon Tuleh