The Federal Government has unveiled plans to inject N12 billion into research projects aimed at accelerating Nigeria’s digital economy and strengthening the country’s global competitiveness in technology-driven innovation.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, disclosed this on Tuesday at the opening of the 18th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV) in Abuja. The four-day conference, themed “Shaping the Future of Digital Governance Through Cooperation, Innovation and Inclusion,” is being hosted by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
Tijani said the funding would support three research clusters across six Nigerian universities, with focus areas including artificial intelligence, digital connectivity, and digital skills and literacy.
“Immediately after ICEGOV last year, we funded over 55 research projects,” he said. “We are now putting together about N12 billion to fund further research projects focused on the digital economy. One cluster is centred on artificial intelligence, another on connectivity—which remains one of our biggest national challenges—and the third on digital skills and literacy.”
The Minister said the initiative would strengthen Nigeria’s research ecosystem and ensure digital innovation delivers inclusive socio-economic impact.
Tijani stressed that digital transformation has become fundamental to human and national development, adding that platforms like ICEGOV provide an avenue to responsibly shape emerging technologies and create appropriate regulatory frameworks. He noted that Nigeria’s strong participation in last year’s conference earned it the hosting rights for the 2025 edition.
Chair of the ICEGOV Steering Committee, Ms Elsa Estevez, called for stronger global collaboration in managing the outcomes of emerging technologies, especially artificial intelligence. She warned that innovation must remain ethical and people-centred to prevent distortions in society.
“Innovation dramatically changes the way we live, work and interact,” she said. “Governments must engage citizens in shaping public policy and counter misinformation by building digital spaces grounded in information ethics.”
Director-General of NITDA, Malam Kashifu Inuwa, also disclosed that the Federal Government plans to integrate digital literacy into the national school curriculum from 2026 as part of its Knowledge Policy and Digital Literacy Framework.
He added that ministries, departments and agencies were being equipped to ensure public servants acquire relevant digital competencies to support service delivery in an increasingly digitised public sector.
