The Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, FNCS, FBCS, FIIM, was recently honoured with the prestigious 2020 Minister of the Year Award.  The award was coordinated by the Blueprint Newspaper at a ceremony that took place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel on Thursday, 3^rd June 2021.

Dr Pantami came top in the keenly contested award at the Blueprint Newspapers’ 10th year anniversary and 2020 Impact Series/Awards.  He was selected as the winner based on his major achievements in the three major priority areas of the government - Economy, Transparency and Security, and the excellence with which he carried out his task of leading the Communications and Digital Economy sector. 

According to the coordinators of the Award, Dr Pantami stood out as a result of the significant role the ICT sector played in lifting Nigeria out of recession, the rapid development of the digital economy sector under his watch, his exemplary leadership and synergy among the Ministry’s parastatals, to mention but a few.  The ICT was the the fastest growing sector in 2020 and its 14.70% growth rate in the 4^th Quarter of 2020 played a key role in enabling the Nigerian economy exit recession. A total of 23 Emergency Communication Centres were commissioned under his watch and 12 more are almost ready for commissioning.  Over 300 centres were also established to support the growth of the digital economy.

The Awards were graced by the President of the Senate and other leading members of the society.  It had a number of high profile recipients like a former President and some serving governors, who were conferred with awards in various categories for some accomplishments in different endeavours.

The organisers noted that the event was "organised to honour key political actors, individuals and heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) who have proved their worth in specific areas of governance such as education, urban renewal and rural infrastructure and the ease of doing business, among others".

The Honourable Minister thanked the organisers for recognising his modest achievements in the Communications and Digital Economy sector.  He also stated that he strongly believes that the Award will further energize he and his team to contribute meaningfully in the service of the country.

Dr Femi Adeluyi
Technical Assistant (Information Technology) to the
Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy
5^th of June, 2021

The Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, FNCS, FBCS, FIIM, chaired a Stakeholders Meeting to review the Rule Making Process and New Regulations for the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST).

The meeting took place on Thursday, 11^th of March, 2021 and key stakeholders that participated at the meeting included the Chair, Senate Committee on Telecommunications (represented by the Vice Chair), the Chair, House Committee on Telecommunications, the Chairman of NIPOST, the Postmaster General and CEO of NIPOST, DG/CEO of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), DG/CEO of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC),  the Managing Director/CEO of Galaxy Backbone Ltd, the Director-General/CEO of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) and Director-General/CEO of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN).

Others at the meeting included the representatives of the Inspector-General of Police, Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service.  Others were the Association of Nigeria Courier Operators (ANCO), Nigeria International Air Courier Association (NIACA), Mail Route Partners, and operators such as UPS, Fedex, Courier Plus Services, RedStar and DHL. Wider stakeholder engagement was also conducted as the regulations were been developed.

A vibrant postal service requires the issuance of regulations, standards, guidelines from time to time to guide actions and provide needed clarity for stakeholders. Section 62 of the Nigerian Postal Service Act 1992 empowers the Minister in charge of NIPOST to make regulations that give effect to the provisions of the NIPOST Act. We are in the process of separating Regulations from Operations.

The Rulemaking Process Regulation of NIPOST was issued to activate the regulatory function of NIPOST. The document aims at ensuring an inclusive, stakeholder-led process that takes advantage of the diversity and capacity of Nigerians in various walks of life in order to make the most efficient and value-adding decisions that engender sustainable growth in the sector.

The Courier and Logistics Services (Operations) Regulations aim to provide a regulatory framework for effective and efficient licensing processes, procedures and regulations for the Courier and Logistics industry in Nigeria.

The Rulemaking Process and Regulations will position NIPOST as a key player in the digital economy, in line with the National Digital Economy Policy for a Digital Nigera.

Dr Femi Adeluyi
Technical Assistant (Information Technology) to the
Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy
18^th May 2021

The Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, FNCS, FBCS, FIIM addressed the participants of the Digital Job Creation Training at the virtual Closing Ceremony, which took place on Friday, 12^th March 2021.  The ceremony was a culmination of the first phase of the training that took place simultaneously in five States of the country, namely Oyo, Ogun, Katsina, Jigawa and Imo.

The training programmes were part of the initiatives in the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) of the Federal Government, conceptualised and coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.  The ESP aims to enable Nigerians to respond robustly and appropriately to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of the training is to ensure that Nigerians have the adequate digital access and digital literacy skills required to create digital jobs that can drive the Digital Economy of the country.

The Digital Job Creation Programme is in line Digital Nigeria Programme launched by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, on the 19th of March 2020. It also aligns with several pillars of the National Digital Economy Policy for a Digital Nigeria, including Pillar #2 on Digital Literacy and Skills.  This Pillar recognises the fact that citizens are the greatest assets in the digital economy and it supports the development of a large pool of digitally literate and digitally skilled citizens.  The Ministry is championing a paradigm shift that lays an emphasis on skills, in preference to merely having degrees without skills, since degrees are meant to validate skills.

In addition to the digital skills acquired during the training, all participants also received a laptop and some stipend.  They will also be provided with a modem with 1 year broadband subscription at an appropriate time, after the issue of suspension of the sale of new SIMs is resolved. Dr Pantami urged the participants to challenge themselves in order to stay motivated so that they can improve their level of skill.  He encouraged them to identify challenges in different sectors of the economy that their newly acquired digital skills can address.  He also tasked them to take advantage of the mentorship opportunities that will be made available. 

The next phase of the training is scheduled to commence in other parts of the country in a few days.

Dr Femi Adeluyi
Technical Assistant (Information Technology) to the
Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy
12^th March, 2021

With the vision of bridging the digital divide in Nigeria and ensuring that People Living with Disabilities (PLWDs) are empowered with digital skills to thrive in the 21st-century global market as captured in the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy is overseeing a 5-day capacity development programme for PLWD.

The 5-day training programme is taking place in Enugu, Enugu State has participants drawn from all the South Eastern States of the Country. The programme which is a policy directive of the Ministry under the visionary leadership of the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami is implemented by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

The objective of the training is to facilitate and enhance Digital Inclusion among the participants and empower them with the digital skills and tools needed to thrive in the 21st century where digital transformation is dominating the globe.

The theme of the programme “Training in IT and Entrepreneurship” signifies the need to leverage entrepreneurial technologies and job creation especially in this era of the COVID-19 pandemic as reiterated in several fora by the Honourable Minister, Dr Pantami.

Mr Yusuf Abubakar
Personal Assistant (New Media) to the
Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy
2^nd March 2021

The Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, FNCS, FBCS, FIIM, is very delighted to hear that the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector recorded the highest growth rate of all the sectors of the Nigerian economy in both the fourth quarter of 2020 (Q4 2020) and the entire year 2020.  This was based on the Q4 2020 Report on Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) released today, the 18th of February 2020, by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released

According to the NBS, " Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 0.11%(year-on-year) in real terms in the fourth quarter of 2020, representing the first positive quarterly growth in the last three quarters." In real terms, the non-oil sector contributed 94.13% to the nation’s GDP in Q4 2020 as opposed to the 5.87% contributed to total real GDP by the oil sector.

It is noteworthy that the ICT sector grew by 14.70% in Q4 2020, making it the fastest growing sector of the Nigerian economy and the only sector to have grown by double digits.  The ICT sector grew at a rate more than 4 times the next fastest growing sector of Q4 2020, which grew at 3.42%. 

The ICT sector also maintained its rapid growth rate in the year 2020 assessment, growing at 12.90%, or over 3 times the next best sector, which grew at 3.81%.  Again, the ICT sector was the only sector with a double digit growth rate.  Furthermore, the telecommunications sector recorded a growth rate of 15.90% and this was its highest growth rate in the last 10 years. This performance is unprecedented.

The Honorable Minister notes that the giant strides recorded in the ICT sector are a direct result of the focused and committed effort of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR.  The strategic policy directions of the Federal Government include the National Digital Economy Policy for a Digital Nigeria and the Nigerian National Broadband Plan, amongst others.

The GDP Report has shown that the ICT sector is a catalyst for the diversification and growth of our economy.  The Honourable Minister calls on all sectors to take advantage of the Federal Government’s new focus on the digital economy to enable and improve their processes through the use of ICTs.  He also congratulates all stakeholders of the ICT sector and calls on them to continue supporting the policies of the Federal Government. This would enhance the output of all the sectors of the economy and boost Nigeria’s GDP.

Dr Femi Adeluyi
Technical Assistant (Information Technology) to the
Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy
19^th February 2020

The Federal Executive Council approved the building of the first National ICT Park during its meeting on the 10^th of February, 2021.  This followed the presentation of a memo by the Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, FNCS, FBCS, FIIM.

The Park is the first of its kind due to its nature, activities and the state-of-the-art facilities it will have.  The Park will also accommodate the National ICT Exhibition Centre, as well as Museum for ICT and postal services, to showcase technology-related innovations by Nigerians.

The National ICT Park will be supported by the National Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre (NDIEC) that was earlier presented by the Honourable Minister and approved by the FEC on the 11^th of November, 2020 and whose groundbreaking was done by Dr Pantami on the 4^th of February, 2021. Both (the NDIEC and the Park) are legacy projects of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR.  All the parastatals of the Ministry will be involved in managing the National Centres.

The National ICT Park would be a focal point for the supervision of both public and private ICT hubs in the country. The N8.9billion Park will be built on a 4,200 square meter land.  The Park will serve as a centre for National ICT Policy formulation, Research and Development. Through it, the Federal Government will provide the enabling environment for creative Nigerians to come up with innovative technologies.

The Park will have a number of benefits including boosting the digital economy, provision of space and environment for the growth of innovation driven enterprises (IDEs), serving as an incubator for cutting-edge technology and a mentorship platform for innovators, amongst others. It will provide a central location for Nigerian innovators with vibrant and developmental ideas to receive mentorship and all that they need to thrive.

The Honourable Minister, Ministry and the technology ecosystem are grateful for the tremendous support of Mr President for the Digital Economy sector. The Ministry will continue to position Nigeria to leverage technology in order to transform Nigeria into a leading digital economy.

Dr ‘Femi Adeluyi
Technical Assistant (Information Technology) to the
Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy
11^th February, 2020

Participants at the Public Service Innovation Challenge representing the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, who clinched the top three positions to emerge first, second and third winners of the competition organised by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation among 168 participants have been digitally empowered. 

Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami under whose purview the ministry falls, expressed satisfaction at the feat while presenting them with digital tools in his office on Wednesday, 27th January 2021. He affirmed that the ministry was proud of the achievement and that “the federal government will continue to support innovation and innovators that is why In addition to the monetary prizes won by our able teams, we are also presenting them with Laptops to further encourage and support their drive”.

The winning teams presented with Laptops by Dr Pantami include; 

Sogunro Oyindamola and Iliya Abdurrahman who won the first prize for developing a software solution that provides a reliable, e-platform for an organisation, Oluwaseun Winsala and Francis Ebire came second with their Digital ID and let Blockchain solution, while Zainab Saka and Tolulope Ibitoye came third with an effective reward system for civil servants. 

The maiden edition of the competition also saw the Ministry carting away the fourth and fifth positions at the competition. 

It will be recalled that the competition is aimed at promoting innovation in public service.

Uwa Suleiman (Mrs)

Spokesperson to the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy

27^th January 2021

The Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, FNCS, FBCS, FIIM, has approved the setting up of a National Identity Number (NIN) enrolment centre at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The desk will be set up by Tuesday, 19th of January, 2021.

This enrolment centre will provide support for members of the Diplomatic Corps and will be managed by the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, through the National Identity Management Commission. The centre is being set up based on the request of the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, in order to simplify the process for diplomats.

The National Identity Number is mandatory for diplomats who will reside in Nigeria for a continuous period of two years or more. It is also mandatory for all other lawful residents in the country as stated in Section 16 of the National Identity Management Commission Act 2007.

The Law has made it mandatory for Nigerians and legal residents to obtain a NIN since 2007. However, compliance has been low, until recently. The Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy remains committed to creating an enabling environment for all Nigerians and legal residents to obtain their Digital Identity Number.

Dr Femi Adeluyi
Technical Assistant (Information Technology) to the
Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy
17^th January, 2021