Groom innovators that will position Nigeria as a leader in digital economy — Communication Minister tells academia

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital economy, Dr Bosun Tijani has called on academic institutions to groom students who will become innovators and make Nigeria a leader in the digital economy.

The Honourable Minister Dr.Bosun Tijani gave this charge in his office in Abuja when he received in audience the Vice Chancellor of Veritas University, Reverend father, Professor Hyacinth Ichoku with the Management staff for the “Presentation of Africa Innovation Challenge 2023 Award.”

The charge is coming on the heels of Veritas University’s excellent performance in winning the 3rd Edition of the annual Africa Telecommunication Union (ATU) Africa Innovation Challenge 2023, with the theme “Innovating for Digital Inclusion: Solutions to Bridge the Digital Divide in Africa.”

According to the Minister, “You can almost see the direct quality of academic institutions to the quality of any nation.”

“Every nation relies on research and development to be able to progress.”

Dr. Bosun is of the view that no nation in the world can progress without a sound academic or tertiary institution churning out quality and dependable  innovations that can add value to its economy.

He said humanity is constantly in search of better ways to do things and improve significantly. The minister believed that can only come through useful research and development from academic institutions who are the sole custodians.

Speaking at the event, the minister disclosed that it is the responsibility of academic institutions to groom and train learners to become innovators that will innovate technical solutions for the country’s future development.

“The way we look at education or curriculum and how we train workforce for the future itself, is fast changing.Not only do we need to raise and groom strong people to be part of the workforce that will lift our nation and help the economy to prosper, we also need to understand that the world demands we have innovators,” he added.

Also, the minister further challenged Nigerian universities on training people who are creators and have the capabilities to solve problems and challenges in the society.

He cited the examples of borders being  melting, security crises  within or outside of the country that can affect nations  e.g, like covid 19 that emanated from China.  The minister believes that how to address such unprecedented challenges even before they come, can only come from innovation.

He mentioned that not just training  people, but having those that can drive the innovation that will bring about economic development.

He equally mentioned that the country is endowed with rich resources so the government needs people who are builders, innovators, entrepreneurs that will transform those resources for the greater good of the populace.

Dr. Bosun said that as a ministry, “While we encourage the private sector to invest, we need the academic sector to join us in coming up with groundbreaking research that will ensure that Nigeria is a true leader in the African continent.”

The highlight of the event was the presentation of the sum of $20,000 cash award to Veritas university for winning the ATU 2023 Innovation Challenge in Nairobi, Kenya recently.

The Minister on behalf of the federal government and the ministry commended Veritas University with a remark that the institution has become a model.

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo also felicitates with the VC and the Management for a show of honour and how the institution represented the nation well.

In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor of Veritas University Reverend Father Professor Hyacinth Ichoku talked about the challenge of getting industrialists and investors in turning those researches into products for commercialisation purposes