The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has announced the Federal Government’s plan to train over 1.1 million residents of Enugu State in digital skills by 2027.
The initiative, part of the National Information Technology Development Agency’s (NITDA) Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL) program, aims to enhance digital literacy across Nigeria and empower citizens with essential tech skills.
Tijani disclosed this during a courtesy visit to Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, on Thursday.
He emphasized that the training would target artisans, market women, civil servants, students, and other underserved groups.
Enugu as a model for digital transformation
The minister praised Governor Mbah’s investments in the digital economy, stating that Enugu is rapidly becoming a benchmark for sub-national governments in building tech-driven societies.
“Governor Mbah’s achievements in infrastructure, education, and economic reforms align with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and our ministry’s strategic blueprint,” Tijani said.
- He noted that the state’s push toward becoming a $30 billion economy in eight years reflects a bold vision for digital inclusion and innovation.
- Tijani highlighted ongoing investments in digital infrastructure, including leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to boost productivity and innovation.
- He also mentioned the ministry’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Programme, which has received over 14,000 applications from Enugu residents, with 1,762 already trained.
The next phase will scale training to over 150,000 individuals in the state.
Key collaborations with Enugu State
The minister also announced collaboration with Enugu State Government through the 774 Connectivity Project to provide internet connectivity to all 17 Local Government secretariats in Enugu State through 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 establishing the AI 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 train 100 people in Enugu State with the in-demand skills for cyber-security and infrastructure defence, as part of NITDA’s Cyber-security Training Program.
“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.
Enugu’s digital economy agenda
Responding, Mbah reiterated his administration’s commitment to harnessing the full potential of the digital economy towards diversifying revenue streams and growing Enugu State into a $30 billion economy.
- He said the government’s embrace of innovation was evident in its Command and Control Centre, where it had deployed technology to secure streets and neighbourhoods through a round-the-clock surveillance system.
- He said 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.
What you should know
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, last year declared that all training programs of the administration are geared towards ensuring that 90% of Nigerians are digitally literate by 2030.
According to him, part of the initiatives is the ongoing 3 Million Technical Skills (3MTT) through which the government plans to train 3 million Nigerians in digital skills over the next three years.
Tijani clarified that being digitally literate does not mean that 90% of Nigerians will become tech talents, but they would be given the foundation to be able to choose to participate in the digital economy.
