Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has described the Enugu Tech Festival which kicked off on Wednesday as the biggest technology conference that has ever happened in Nigeria.
The tech festival being held in the International Conference Center, Enugu, was being organised by the Enugu State government.
Tijani said that the festival, which attracted thousands of youths from within and outside Enugu state, was a major leap for Nigeria’s determination to build a robust digital economy.
According to him, Enugu State under Governor Peter Mbah, had moved from policy to progress to lead the tech revolution in Nigeria.
The Minister said that the tech festival, tagged” Coal to Code,” fitted into the agenda and activities of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, having recognised that the future of digital economy in Nigeria would not only be built in Abuja, but would instead be co-created across all states.
He said: “Enugu is showing how this should and will be done.
“I have never, never been to a conference on technology in Nigeria that is this big.
“There is something powerful about your state: the energy, the ambition, the possibilities.
“Just two years ago, only a few people could imagine this kind of tech momentum. But today, Enugu has not just imagined, Enugu is building it.
“Under two years, we have seen investment in digital infrastructure, and the innovation ecosystem of the state.
“What is happening today in Enugu is part of something bigger.
“We are now witnessing a generational rise, not one where people complain and protest, but one where creativity is used to shape the future.
“Not just with passion, but with precision.”
Speaking, Governor Peter Mbah, highlighted how his administration had invested in technology to dramatically revolutionise security, land administration, education, among others.
He said that the Enugu Tech Festival was part of his government’s wider efforts to build the youth of the state into wealth creators and highly sought-after workforce of tomorrow’s workplace.
“The power of technology and innovation and what we can accomplish is something that I want the youths to be mindful of.
“If you look at the way things are being done in the world today, we are now talking about an era where people just sit down with great ideas, create platforms where they begin to essentially benefit from that platform.
“An example is the Uber that came and disrupted the city taxi without owning a key.
“Today, they provide by far the largest traffic just by creating a platform.
“You can extend that to Airbnb; without owning a key, these guys have disrupted the business of those who own several brick and mortar houses.
“You can also extend that to Tesla. That is the power of technology. This shows essentially that technology is where the future is,” Mbah said.
In his remark, the Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Lawrence Ezeh, said that the tech festival would now become an annual event.
According to him, the event underscored a paradigm shift from the old Enugu known for coal to one that has become a rising force in Nigeria’s tech-driven future.
“A beacon of innovation, intellectual capital, digital enterprise, and endless possibilities,” he said.
