…FG To Train 1.5Mn Enugu State Residents On Digital Skills
Enugu State Government and the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) are set to sign a 25-year facility lease for a Digital Bridge Institute and Digital Industrial Park to be located in the state.
According to the plan in the partnership deal, the Digital Industrial Park will be established as an Academic and Innovation Hub, Outsourcing Facility, and Digital Training Centre.
Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, who gave these hints when he hosted the minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, at the Government House in Enugu assured the readiness of his administration to partner the Federal Government on some key projects and initiatives to consolidate on the achievements of the government over the past 22 months.
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Earlier, the minister had commended the government on the transitioning of Enugu State into a digital economy
He said: “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”, Tijani added.
Speaking further, the minister maintained that the federal Government was eager to collaborate with the state on various initiatives to grow the digital economy.
He expatiated: “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 (NIGCOMSAT).
“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”, the minister assured.
Tijani said the Galaxy Backbone would provide internet connectivity to over 200 state-owed institutions, including Smart Green Schools, Primary Health Centres, the State Secretariat, and Government House, adding that the Ministry will, through the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), partner the state to invest in infrastructure support such as connection of presently unconnected rural areas.
In addition, he disclosed that Federal Government 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.
Tijani said that the Federal Government would be training 1,555,000 residents of Enugu State in essential digital skills through NITDA’s Digital Literacy for All initiative before 2027.
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.
According to him, apart from the Smart Green Schools initiative, which aimed at imbuing pupils with knowledge and skills that sufficiently prepare them for the dynamic workplace of tomorrow, the state government had fully transitioned to an e-governance platform, a centralised portal that has improved efficiency and transparency, ensured workflow automation and inter-MDA integration.
The governor enthused: “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.
Photo Caption
L-R: Special Adviser to Enugu State Governor on Digital Economy and MSMEs, Arinze Chilo-Offiah; State Commissioner for Trade, Invesmen and Industry, Ada Chukwu; Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Engr. Lawrence Ezeh; Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah; Managing Director NIGCOMSAT, Jane Egerton-Idehen, Secretary, Universal Service Provision Fund, Yomi Arowosafe; and South East Zonal Head, NITDA, Dr. Nkem Momah, during the minister’s working visit to the governor at the Government House, Enugu recently
