The minister for Communication , Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has praised the commitment and drive of Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to making the dream of grooming three million technology talents (3MTT) across Nigeria a reality in the state.
Represented by the Community Manager for the initiative, Ibrahim Zulkifuli, the minister made the commendation in Ilorin, the state capital, at the graduation for the 3MTT Cohort (1) and launch of Kwara digital economy platform.
The minister described the support of the state government as “amazingly huge” and commended AbdulRazaq’s partnership in building and transforming effective learners from the project.
The 3MTT training programme is an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Communications which the Kwara State first keyed into. After a statewide sensitization and registration, Kwara got more than 40,000 entries early January, thereby enjoying massive commendation from the federal government.
“We have all seen the digital transformation in the state and what the Honourable minister envisioned is to ensure capacity building for everybody but we could see how it is transforming from Kwara through the support of His Excellency, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq,” he said.
“The support is very huge and we could not even see it coming. Thank you very much for your support and guidance, Your Excellency.
“First, the governor deployed the right head for the job, in the person of special assistant to the Governor on Digital Innovation and Technology, Hon. Ishola Kayode. He is doing an amazing job in the area of sanitation and going to underserved communities in Kwara State. That actually makes Kwara the best when it comes to 3MTT support so far. And then, the governor is giving resources support like laptops and among support. I must say that no other state is doing that,” he added.
Bosun also said the ministry has a mission of getting the right skill and building something that is going to transform the state.
“We are going to have a lot of digital transformation when it comes to business innovation. That is why we had a stakeholders’ engagement last month. We have the synergy and collaborative efforts to ensure that everything is going on smoothly and we are going to deploy a business star hub from this initiative”, he added.
Governor AbdulRaza was represented at the event by the senior adviser/ counselor, Alh. Sa’adu Salau; other cabinet members and government officials in the state; technocrats in the sector; and many entrepreneurs and tech experts, including the 3MTT training graduates.
The programme, which was themed: “Harnessing the Unlimited Potentials of the Digital Economy “, also featured panel discussions.
AbdulRazaq, for his part, said the ceremony signposted the reality and prosperity of the commitment of the administration to transform Kwara State to a digital economy.
“We all know that this state was regarded as a civil servants state. You know the series of multibillion naira investments we have put in place in the last five years to make sure that we transform from analogue to digital economy. This is because the preponderance of the younger generation, the youth, constitutes a major programme of this government,” the governor said
AbdulRazaq congratulated the participants and appreciated the minister for giving the state the right support to thrive on the digitalization drive.
“The investment essentially opens Kwara State to a lot of foreign investors in the digital economy and transforms the state from what it used to be to a digitally prepared economy in the global community. We thank Mr. President, and we thank the Honourable Minister for his leadership and support in this regard”, the governor added, asking the graduates to make the best use of the programme.
The state commissioner for Business, Innovation and Technology, Hon. Damilola Adelodun, who keynoted the event alongside Engr. Taofeek Abdulkareem, said the gathering attested to how Governor AbdulRazaq is fostering a culture of innovation and supporting tech programmes that she noted are instrumental to creating opportunities for the upcoming tech professionals.
She said the administration has created the Ilorin Innovation Hub to nurture and support tech talents, startups and innovations in the state.
“We also have programmes such as the E-hackathon, partnership with IHS and other internal bodies which are currently ongoing, and others coming up in the areas of connectivity, data transfer, e-government, e-health, and much more”, she said.
She advised the trainees to continue to embrace challenges and think outside the box to solve them, saying she has confidence in their potential to make significant impacts in the tech industry.
For his part, Engr. Taofeek Abdulkareem, said the graduates have acquired a solid foundation through that 3MTT training but enjoined them to take a step further by cultivating a digital mindset.
The special assistant to the governor on Digital Innovation, Ishola Kayode, said Kwara is one of the few states across the federation that have chosen to harness the potential of the three million talents programme, an action he said typifies a purposeful leadership of the governor.
He said the administration supported the 3MTT training with laptops for participants, provision of access to internet across the training centres, as well as distribution of gadgets as rewards for outstanding participants.