Techeconomy gathered that the Digital Industrial Park will be repurposed as an Academic and Innovation Hub, Outsourcing Facility, and Digital Training Centre.

The State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah disclosed these when he welcomed Dr. Bosun Tijani, the minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, at the Government House, Enugu.

Earlier, the Minister commended the fast transitioning of Enugu State into a digital economy, saying the state was fast becoming a standard for tech-driven societies under Governor Peter Mbah’s leadership.

This was even as Governor Mbah restated the preparedness of his administration to partner the federal government on a number of projects and initiatives to consolidate the gains of the past 22 months.

The Minister 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,” Dr. Tijani stated.

He said the FG was, therefore, very eager to collaborate with the state on various initiatives to grow the digital economy.

“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,” he stated.

The Minister 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.

He added that the Ministry would, through the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), partner with the state to invest in infrastructure support such as connection of presently unconnected rural areas.

He announced that FG 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.

“Finally, we are committing to train 1,555,000 residents of Enugu State in essential digital skills through NITDA’s Digital Literacy for All initiative before 2027,” Tijani concluded.

Speaking, 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.

Besides the Smart Green Schools aimed at imbuing pupils with knowledge and skills that sufficiently prepare them for the dynamic workplace of tomorrow, Mbah said the state had fully transitioned to an e-governance platform, a centralised portal that has improved efficiency and transparency, ensured workflow automation and inter-MDA integration.

“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 that the state was also in the final stages of signing a 25-year facility lease with NCC for the Digital Bridge Institute and Digital Industrial Park, repurposed as an Academic and Innovation Hub, Outsourcing Facility, and Digital Training Centre.

A statement by Tinubu’s media aide, Ajuri Ngelale, noted that Mr. David is an academic and industry expert with a deep under­standing of digital tech­nologies and educational leadership.

Beyond David’s ap­pointment, Tinubu also approved the appointment of Mr. Reuben Oshomah as Executive Director, Marketing, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), while Mrs. Adama Kure, takes over as Executive Director, Finance and Administration (NIGCOMSAT).

The presidency said Mr. Oshomah has extensive experience in communi­cations satellite market­ing and strategic business development, while Mrs. Kure is a seasoned finance professional with a strong record in financial manage­ment and corporate gover­nance.

According to the statement, the president expects the newly appointed officers to bring their wealth of experi­ence and expertise to bear in driving the stra­tegic vision for these in­stitutions.

The five-week virtual training, which will be a mix of instructor-led and self-paced learning, commenced on September 4 and will end on October 12, 2023.

The training aims to equip the 3,000 entrepreneurs with business and technological skills needed to build sustainable businesses in Nigeria.

Upon completion of the training, the top 300 participants will each receive part of the N90,000,000 equipment grant.

Speaking on the importance of the training, Odunayo Sanya, Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, said:

“In Nigeria today, there are a lot of businesses run by young people who require skills to sustain and upscale these businesses. The training we are delivering aims to equip our entrepreneurial youth with technological skills that they can in turn use to grow their businesses. As a technology company, we are committed to empowering young entrepreneurs in Nigeria and we’re constantly seeking ways to bridge the gap between our youths and the skills they require to thrive in a digital world. We will continue to partner with other organisations in this quest.”

Commenting on the partnership, Ola Williams, Country Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, said, “Entrepreneurs play a pivotal role in Nigeria’s economy.

“According to PwC Nigeria, SMEs account for 96 percent of businesses and 84 percent of employment in the country. This adds up to a contribution of 48 percent to Nigeria’s GDP – no small amount. It’s these industrious and resourceful business owners we want to see succeed, but

“At Meta, we strongly believe that small businesses play a critical role in driving economic growth and development, and as such, we are committed to supporting them. We are proud to have invested in programs that are specifically designed to provide small businesses with the resources they need to grow and succeed, and by partnering with organizations such as MTN Foundation, we are able to have a direct and positive impact on the local economy. We invite small business owners to tap into these programs and resources to transform their businesses and thrive in the digital economy”, says Adaora Ikenze, Director of Public Policy, Anglophone West Africa, at Meta.

The 3,000 participants will be trained in modules including digital skills, artificial intelligence, and digital advertising.

The five phases completed were in collaboration with Oracle, KPMG, IBM, Digital Bridge Institute, CISCO, Google, Meta, and Microsoft.

This phase is aimed at young business owners in Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Kebbi, Niger and Yobe State. Since the inception of the initiative, MTN Foundation has trained over 4,000 youths across 16 states in Nigeria including Abia, Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Borno, Cross River, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Lagos, Nasarawa, Oyo and Rivers States.

Not a single startup from the South East Nigeria was named among the top 10 Nigerian startups that raised funds as at December 2022.

The list of top 10 Nigerian startups that raised funds as at December 2022:

1. Flutterwave ($250 million)

2. Moove ($181.8 million)
3. ThriveAgric ($56.4 million)
4. TeamApt ($50 million)
5. Reliance Health ($40 million)
6. Vendease ($30 million)
7. Umba ($17.5 million)
8. Omnibiz ($15 million)
9. Bamboo ($15 million)
10. CredPal ($15 million)

(Source: Nairametrics)

Look at the list again, aren’t you worried over the state of South East startup ecosystem?

On August 9, 2021, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) instituted a sit-at-home protest in response to the detention of their leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

Initially designated solely for Mondays, this ‘protest’ has since been extended to encompass any day Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is scheduled to appear in court. This August marks the culmination of two years since his prosecution and imprisonment by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The dilly-dallying surrounding this case has led to the sit-at-home protest snowballing into violence; attacks on the citizens and their property.

At some point, IPOB, the proponents of the sit-at-home came out to declare ‘no-more sit-at-home’, due to growing agony among the people and the business community.

The budding startup ecosystem appears to be the worst hit. The sit-at-home protest could be one of many reasons for the lackluster startup ecosystem in the South East Nigeria, but it’s definitely a huge blow for young minds who perceived the once calmest region

Prof. Charles Soludo, the Governor of Anambra state, estimates the state loses about NGN19.6 billion naira each day there is a sit-at-home order.

Ben Kalu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives estimates the sit-at-home has cost the south East Nigeria about N4 trillion in two years.

Also, Sunday Punch, reports the sit-at-home in 2023 alone has cost the region 144 working days.

There is a believe that South East Nigeria has the highest diaspora population of any ethnicity in Nigeria. Igbos far and wide as a matter of habit troop en masse to their home town during festivities. The beehive of activities especially during festive period has declined as most Easterners are concerned about the security situation.

This norm has greeted impacted the hospitality sector.

Economic Implications

The first report on the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) was published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2018. The MPI is an indicator used to measure poverty across several criteria. Analysis by subregions reveals that Abia, Anambra, Imo, Enugu, and Ebonyi had MPI values of 0.088, 0.050, 0.083, 0.123, and 0.265, respectively.

The recent 2022 MPI report from the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows a significant increase, with Abia, Anambra, Imo, Enugu, and Ebonyi having MPI values of 0.109, 0.101, 0.142, 0.234, and 0.320, respectively.

Although four more dimensions have been added to the computation of the MPI in 2022 compared to 2018, the data indicates that poverty has greatly increased in the southeast. However, it is difficult to ascertain if the sit-at-home policy has significantly contributed to the increase in poverty but it’s sure an enabler.

A DevEast foundation report highlighted the following impact on the eastern economy:

– Businesses lose every Monday of the week to the sit-at-home protest and an extra day when

– Mazi Nnamdi Kanu goes to court, which means the sit-at-home approach has led to the loss of about 4-5 working days per month.

– Customers outside the Region are forced to find alternatives as the South East has trade relations with neighbouring towns.

– Trading Businesses Lost Upwards of N655bn to N3.8tr in 24 months.

-The sit-at-home protest negatively impacts students’ academic progress across all levels of education

Speaking to Mercy (real name withheld), an Assistant Branch Manager with one of the Tier 1 banks described in vivid details how the sit at home has affected the South East region:

“The sit-at-home mandate has its greatest impact on demand, supply, and financial transactions. For instance, clothing items—particularly sought after by buyers from the northern regions—have undergone a shift in purchasing patterns.

Previously, buyers favored Onitsha due to its proximity in comparison to Lagos.

Prior to the implementation of the sit-at-home directive, northern traders would typically set out from their base on Saturdays, ensuring their presence at the Monday markets.

The Easterners, predominantly Christians hence markets are closed on Sundays. They would conduct their shopping on Mondays and depart on Tuesdays. However, the sit-at-home order has compelled traders from the north to divert their travels towards Lagos due to heightened stability and security. Unfortunately, this shift has resulted in lost business opportunities for traders in Onitsha.

Additionally, businesses with the financial capacity are compelled to establish outposts in neighboring states, notably Delta State, specifically Asaba, in order to cater to their customer base. Consequently, this shift has spurred a noticeable upswing in the hospitality industry in Asaba.

Given the volatile nature of currency exchange rates, time has become an indispensable factor in consummating trades. Instances have arisen wherein traders travel with substantial sums of money, sometimes totaling as much as N10 million, on Sunday nights. Their objective is to arrive in Asaba the following morning, enabling them to deposit funds so as to transfer to their foreign counterparts.

This has affected farm produce as well. Most farm produce have a very short shelf life. This means the one-day delay would lead to massive wastages”

Pamela Aneke, a banker with First Bank Plc, also corroborated her account.

She said, “Traders and schools are the hardest hit by the sit-at-home order. Commercial banks are not left out. Customers are becoming dissatisfied with banking services as it takes a longer turnaround time to resolve complaints. This has led to a negative customer experience and a loss of revenue for the banks.”

How it has affected education?

The South East has always prided itself as the beacon of academic excellence. Southeastern states have been consistently ranked among the top ten performing states in the federation in the West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams organized nationwide.

The disruption in academic activities has necessitated that school administrators devise means to ensure students catch up on lost time. Most schools have resorted to holding weekend classes for their students. For instance, students of Federal Government College (FGC) Enugu have to be in school on Saturdays to cover up for lost time.

The economic and social impact on the Southeast has been catastrophic, to say the least. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, in a recent statement from his lawyer, has abolished all forms of “sit-at-home” and has declared Mondays as Economic Empowerment Days (EDD).

 It is imperative that the leaders of the Southeast take proactive steps to stem the tide before it is too late. There have been several pronouncements from the governors of the Southeast on the cancellation of the “sit-at-home,” but fear still lingers in the hearts of the populace.

Startup ecosystem as the worst hit

While the South East Nigeria startup ecosystem is navigating the challenges posed by poor infrastructure, low government’s interest and snobs by investors, the sit-at-home protests have compounded the issues.

In a chat with Techeconomy, Chukwudi Edoga, the founder/CEO, Digital Dreams, said:

“I think the first sit-at-home really affected businesses in different areas. As a tech company, the first effect is in lower productivity.  The hours teams can sit together, ideate and come up with excellent products and designs reduces causing delays. These delays affect the clients also and further causes delay in payment for services rendered.

“Looking deeper, there is an awful air of insecurity leading to exodus of talent from south east. From experience, I can count the number of experience developers and designers that have left the Enugu ecosystem. It is difficult to build a great startup in Enugu and impossible to build without talents around you. So, it is crazy the amount of hemorrhage of talents happening in the southeast exacerbated by the sit-at-home situation.

“Also, the south east is losing as an investment destination. It is well known that money is a coward and doesn’t go to places where there is fear. With the current situation it is quite harder attracting investment in a business or project in Enugu. One of my friends narrated an experience with an investor who stopped progressing with investment discussions once he learnt that his startup is situated in Enugu. The sit-at-home situation coupled with the incessant kidnapping has really been a cog in progress for businesses within the region”.

Also commenting, Nkemjika Uwaezuoke, Creative Director, Splendid Place Events, has this to say: “As an event Entrepreneur, the Sit-at-Home has affected my business a great deal. Most events that should hold on Enugu are either cancelled or experience Low turnout”.

The solution to save the Startup ecosystem in South East Nigeria is surely that one you have in mind. A stitch in time saves nine.

[Feature Image Credit]

Parents and Guardians expressed satisfaction with the conducive learning environment made available by the Digital Bridge Institute during the year 2022 ICT Bootcamp and were very hopeful that their kids would have a fun time with lots of learning experience.

The DBI Lagos Learning Centre held the annual ICT Summer Holiday Bootcamp from Monday, August 8th till Friday 19th August, 2022, TechEconomy can report.

The ICT Holiday Bootcamp is a special full practical training which also incorporated different areas of ICT & Entrepreneurship strategically organized by DBI yearly to train youths on coding, essential digital skills, presentation skills among others.

As usual, the year 2022 edition of the programme was 100% STEM Education which made the children more employable and ready to meet labour demand in the future as it encompassed the whole range of digital experiences and ICT skills.

The three weeks programme offered the participated kids opportunity to gain an insight into real world skills such as Web design, Application Development, Graphic Design, Image Editing, Internet and Digital Citizenship.

Prof. Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, in his Keynote address titled: ‘Nigeria 5G readiness and impact on the Digital Economy mandate’, highlighted the modalities adopted in the deployment of 5G in Nigeria; the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria; benefits of 5G in the Digital Economy; among others.

The Minister noted that “the fifth generation (5G) network will play a vital role in improving the security situation in the country.

Stressing further, he noted that the 5G networks when fully harnessed will boost government’s efforts to drive digital economy and help to unleash the potentials inherent in Virtual Reality (VR) Robotics, Artificial intelligence (AI) Augmented Reality (AR) which explore real time information for maximum efficiency.

The Minister further disclosed that “5G network will enhance transparency and economic development as it’s potential for job creation is unprecedented”.

He thanked the organisers of the event for such a brilliant and laudable programme.

With reference to the theme of the programme, “Disruptive Technologies for Sustainable Development” the Minister was applauded for his keynote presentation at the event by the host, Nile University of Nigeria and other invited guests from all walks of life.

The occasion was graced by eminent personalities from different organisations notably, the Chairman of Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) Prof. Adeolu Akande, Director at NCC who double as Adviser to the Honourable Minister on Techncal matters Prof. Sahalu Balarabe Junaidu and a host of others.

Engr. Prof. Mohammed Ajiya, the President/CEO of DBI was accompanied by the Head and a member of staff of Public Affairs Unit Mr Akin Ogunlade and Temidayo Babansulaimon respectively.

The Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) was launched in the wake of the phenomenal worldwide growth of the Telecommunications (Telecoms) and Information Communications Technology (ICT) sectors, which was especially well noted in Nigeria.

Prof. Mohammed Ajiya, the president of the DBI, congratulated the Commandant on his new posting as the 11th Commandant of AFIT.

Prof. Ajiya in his welcome remarks stated that DBI is open for collaborations and gave a brief history of DBI and the purpose of its creation.

The Institute’s President, according to a statement signed by Akin Ogunlade, head, Public Affairs Unit at DBI, noted that DBI is the training arm of the Nigerian Communications Commission mainly for up skilling human capital development in the field of telecommunications and ICT.

He noted that DBI stands out because it has campuses in the six (6) geopolitical zones of the country with standard infrastructure.

DBI is the only Centre of Excellence of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and also the second Centre of Excellence in West Africa.

He further explained that, on behalf of NCC, DBI offers training to tertiary Institutions in Nigeria and the other arm in the Secondary Schools and all those schools coordinated by NBTE, CCE and also NUC.

The President stated that, NCC solely sponsors this programme and a lot of institutions have benefitted from it.

He went further to announce that, DBI will be training 110 AFIT staff on ADAPTI programme this year. The only thing required from AFIT is a training facility equipped with computer for the practical aspect of the training at their convenience he added.

The AFIT’s Public Relations Officer, Wing Commander K Ali introduced the Commandant AFIT, AVM M.A Yakubu, and gave a brief history on his biography. He stated that the Commandant paid DBI a visit to strengthen the cordial relationship and collaboration between AFIT and DBI.

The Commandant affirmed that, AFIT has benefitted from DBI severally. He expressed the appreciation of AFIT for the 110 slots given by the PDBI for ADAPTI programme this year.

He went further that AFIT needs training capacity development for their teaching and non academic staff.

The Provost of AFIT, Prof. Mohammed Dauda requested that a Memorandum of Understanding should be signed to strengthen the bond between the two institutions to define the relationship.

The Commandant added that the Institute can also benefit from AFIT to avoid a one sided benefit. He went further that, DBI has highly qualified staff/ Instructors and in the aspect of accreditation they can be listed as visiting lecturers.

The President concluded the meeting by appreciating everyone and also agreed that both Institutes can achieve a lot together and assured that the DBI has a running MOU with the Nigerian Air Force and other paramilitary agencies.

He said the Institute is looking forward to a laudable collaboration with the AFIT.

The Institute has a well-equipped laboratory donated by Huwaei Technology which is capable of being used for research up to a PhD level.

The DBI’s management team in attendance at the meeting were, Engr. Prof. Mohammed Ajiya, President/CEO, Head of Corporate Services, Ms Viola Askia Usoro Head, Research lnnovation and Consultancy, Mr. Paulinus Ugwoke, and Head, Learning and Development, Mrs. Ngozi Nwoche.