Minister challenges youths on tech skills, innovation as future economy drivers

The Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has challenged youths in South-East on tech skills and innovation as future economy drivers and entrepreneurs.

Tijani said this on Wednesday while addressing mammoth crowd of youths that attended first Enugu Tech Festival 2025, which is a three-day event tagged: “Coal to Code” being organised by the Enugu State Government.

The minister, who described the festival as the biggest technology conference that had ever happened in Nigeria, noted that technology and innovation was already creating a major leap for Nigeria’s determination to build a robust digital economy.

The minister lauded Enugu State under Gov. Peter Mbah, for moving from policy to progress and concrete utilisation of technology in bringing solutions to various challenges as well as leading the tech revolution in Nigeria.

He said that the festival fitted into the agenda of the Federal Government, 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.

“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. I founded the first technology hub in Nigeria, the very first in Nigeria.

“So, I know a thing or two when technology people gather. I can assure you that today, you are part of history because we have never seen anything this big in Nigeria before.

“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,” he said.

According to him, 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.

“Progress is not automatic, but needs all of us. It needs the government to continue to be brave. It needs the private sector to invest deeper. It needs mentors, builders, teachers, and it needs leaders,” he added.

Speaking, Gov. Mbah highlighted how his administration had invested in technology to revolutionise security, land administration and education among others.

The governor noted that the 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,” he said.

According to him, you can also extend that to Tesla. That is the power of technology. This shows essentially that technology is where the future is.

Corroborating, the Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Lawrence Ezeh, said that the festival, which would become an annual 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.

“For decades, our identity was built on coal, a resource that powered Nigeria’s industrial rise. But today, we stand in a different kind of power—the power of knowledge, innovation, and technology,” he said.

Also at the event were the Speaker, Enugu State House of Assembly, Chief Uchenna Ugwu; former Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Barth Nnaji; Chairman of Zinox Technical, Stan Ekeh; and the Group Managing Director, Afrinvest, Dr Ike Chioke, among others.