On Wednesday, the 2025 Enugu Tech Festival began with Dr. Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, calling it the country’s largest technology conference to date.
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According to Tijani, the Tech Festival—which drew thousands of young people from all over Nigeria—was a huge step forward in the country’s efforts to establish a strong digital economy. He went on to say that Governor Peter Mbah’s leadership in Enugu State had taken the state from policymaker to tech revolution leader.
This was happening at the same time that Governor Peter Mbah was hammering home the point that technology is where it’s at for the next generation.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy acknowledged that the future of Nigeria’s digital economy would not be solely built in Abuja, but rather co-created across all states, and he spoke about how the Tech Festival, titled “Coal to Code,” fit into their agenda and activities.
It is being demonstrated in Enugu how this ought to and will be done. This is the largest technological conference I have ever attended in Nigeria. I was the driving force behind the establishment of Nigeria’s pioneering technology hub.
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When it comes to gatherings of techies, I do know a thing or two. You are a part of history making today, I promise you, because Nigeria has never witnessed anything like this.
All much vitality, drive, and potential in your state is impressive. Very few could have predicted the current rate of technological advancement even two years ago.
Today, though, Enugu is doing more than dreaming; he is really constructing it. State innovation ecosystems and digital infrastructure have received funding in less than two years.
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There is a greater context for today’s events in Enugu. We are currently seeing a new generation come of age, and instead of griping and demonstrating, they are using their imaginations to build the world of tomorrow. “Not merely passionately, but precisely,” he declared.
Tijani urged all parties involved to work together, commit fully, and put in a lot of effort to “create the kind of Nigeria the world will pay attention to,” while also praising the participants for rising to the challenge.
None of us can do it alone; progress is essential. For this, the government must maintain its courageous stance. Greater investment from the business sector is required. He came to the conclusion that it need leaders, teachers, builders, and mentors.
During his speech, Governor Mbah emphasized the administration’s investments in technology and how they have transformed various sectors, including education, land administration, and security. He also mentioned that the Enugu Tech Festival is a part of his government’s larger initiative to empower the youth of the state to become entrepreneurs and employable workers of the future.
The potential of technology and innovation, as well as our abilities, is something I hope the younger generation keeps in mind. We are living in an era where people can sit down with brilliant ideas, build platforms where they can start to profit from those ideas, and the world is moving in that direction.
Take Uber as an example; they arrived and disrupted the city taxi service without ever having a key. Just by building a platform, they now deliver the most traffic. Even Airbnb may benefit from that.
Even though they don’t have a key, these individuals have messed with the lives of people who own multiple physical homes. That goes double for Tesla, too. Technology has that kind of power. His main point was that this demonstrated that technology is the way of the future.
The Enugu Tech Festival, which is set to become an annual event, marked a significant change from the city’s reputation as a coal hub to its current status as a hub of innovation, digital enterprise, intellectual capital, and limitless potential, according to Dr. Lawrence Ezeh, the Commissioner for Innovation, Science, and Technology in Nigeria.
Coal, a resource that drove Nigeria’s industrialization, was foundational to our identity for a long time. However, he asserted that the power that exists today is distinct from the power of the past: the power of information, creativity, and technology.
Speaker Uchenna Ugwu of the Enugu State House of Assembly, former Minister of Science and Technology Prof. Barth Nnaji, Chairman of Zinox Technical Leo Stan Ejeh, and Group Managing Director of Afrinvest Dr. Ike Chioke were among the many dignitaries in attendance at the event. Minister Ayodele Olawande was also in attendance.