Deji Elumoye in Abuja and Emma Okonji in Lagos

President Bola Tinubu has given assurance that the federal government would continue to prioritise the development of the digital economy to enhance youth empowerment and job creation.

This comes as the Federal Ministry of Works (FMoW) and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy (FMoCIDE) have established a joint standing committee on the protection of fiber optic cables to address the persistent issue of cable cuts and subsequent internet disruptions caused by the damage during road construction and rehabilitation activities across the country.

President Tinubu made the pledge yesterday, at the State House, Abuja while receiving a report titled, “Digital Economy, Youth Empowerment and Sustainable Job Creation in Nigeria: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities,” presented by participants of the Senior Executive Course 46 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru.

In their eight-point recommendation, the course participants urged the federal government to expedite the enactment of the Digital Economy and e-Governance Bill 2024 and encourage States to waive the Right of Way fees on the deployment of telecoms infrastructure.

The 96 participants also recommended that the President issue an Executive Order mandating all MDAs to migrate to the OneGov.ng portal.

They advocated adopting a Quintuple-Helix Model to promote the digital economy, youth empowerment, and sustainable job creation.

Other recommendations were promoting long-term funding for the 3MTT scheme, accelerating the transition from IPv4 to IPv6, establishing Digital Health Innovation Hubs across Nigeria, and developing a preventive maintenance application for the nation’s automotive industry.

Responding, Tinubu directed the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy to coordinate with the group and present their recommendations to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Head of the Civil Service for streamlined implementation.

Emphasising the importance of youth empowerment through innovation and digital skills development, Tinubu said: “At the core of our administration is youth empowerment. We cannot relent on that, and we need everyone’s collaboration.

“I have listened carefully to your recommendations and the thorough work you did. We will continue to engage the Institute as a resource centre and Think Tank.

“As Nigeria’s foremost policy Think-Tank, you have highlighted the overlap of some government agencies, and we’ll look at that.

“You are an asset to our country, and I thank the participants for their dedication to their studies. We will continue to collaborate with you for the prosperity of our country.”

Highlighting the importance of data in national planning, Tinubu told the meeting he had earlier met with officials from the National Population Commission (NPC) to discuss the upcoming census.

Earlier, the Director-General of NIPSS, Prof Ayo Omotayo, said during the year-long engagement, course participants undertook study tours across Nigeria and abroad, exploring the theme of their study.

“We recognise that in an era where technology drives innovation, Nigeria must aggressively leverage its youthful population to build a thriving ecosystem. The opportunities are boundless, from Fintech to Agri-Tech, E-Commerce to Artificial Intelligence.

“However, systemic challenges such as infrastructural deficits, inadequate digital skills, and regulatory bottlenecks must be addressed.

“Our findings highlight the urgent need for targeted policies that foster an enabling environment for startups, enhance access to finance, and expand broadband penetration.

“We believe that with your administration’s continued support, Nigeria will fully unlock the potential of the digital economy and create millions of sustainable jobs for our teeming youth,” he said.

On his part, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, announced that the Digital Economy Bill, currently before the National Assembly, would undergo public hearings in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) before its passage in the second quarter of 2025.

According to him, this was the first time legislation would be subjected to such an extensive review.

Regarding the Right of Way fees, the Minister disclosed that 11 states have responded to the federal government’s request to waive the charges, a move aimed at facilitating broadband infrastructure expansion.

He expressed optimism that all states in the Federation would comply with this initiative before the end of the second year of the Tinubu administration.

On Nigeria’s progress in internet protocol transition, Tijani stated that the country is on track to become one of the first in Africa to migrate fully from IPv4 to IPv6.

He added that in 2024, the federal government approved a $2 billion investment into 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic cables to ensure nationwide broadband coverage.

This project would have the third-longest fibre network in Africa, following South Africa and Egypt.

According to the Minister, the project has made significant progress, with support from the Ministry of Finance and a $500 million commitment secured by the World Bank.

In his intervention, the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, noted that the ICT sector contributed 16 percent to Nigeria’s GDP in 2024.

He emphasised the government’s commitment to prioritising the sector as crucial for economic stability and job creation.

Edun, also recalled Tinubu’s recent meeting with the Chief Executive of Flutterwave, during which the company pledged to support Nigerian youth and SMEs through technology-driven solutions with long-term economic impact.

“Flutterwave is considering listing on Nigeria’s Stock Exchange, and we expect this to strengthen the tech and payments ecosystem further,” he said.

Meanwhile, the FMoW and the FMoCIDE have established a joint standing committee on the protection of fiber optic cables to address the persistent issue of fiber optic cuts and subsequent internet disruptions caused by the damage during road construction and rehabilitation activities across the country.

The Joint Standing Committee on Protection of Fiber Optic Cables was inaugurated Tuesday 18th February at the Boardroom of the FMoW, by the Permanent Secretary, Olufunso Adebiyi, and his counterpart at the FMoCIDE, Farouk Yusuf, with the attendance of the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida.

The Committee is made up of key staff from the two ministries and the NCC.

Adebiyi, while inaugurating the committee, directed it to establish modalities to ensure the reduction of damage to deployed fiber optic cables resulting from road construction and maintenance activities, as well as vandalism which has caused severe incidences of service disruption across the country.

He said the committee would serve as a coordinating body for all issues about the protection of fiber optic cables, before, during and after the completion of road constructions or maintenance activities, and would meet on a regular basis to discuss identified problems, agree on industry-wide solutions, set standard engagement processes and procedures, as well as share monthly performance reports.

“They are also expected to develop an instant communication mechanism to facilitate prompt communication and dissemination of information amongst all stakeholders,” he said.

Yusuf, in his remarks, highlighted the significance of fiber optics cables to the country’s economy, stating that fiber networks are the backbone of Nigeria’s digital economy, enabling the seamless delivery of both fixed and mobile broadband services essential for nationwide connectivity, economic growth, and technological innovation.

He noted that the committee’s work remained crucial to ensuring that telecommunication services are not hampered by the work of construction companies.

The EVC/CEO of NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, emphasised the significance of the Committee’s mandate, noting that it has the potential to significantly reduce service disruptions across Nigeria’s telecommunications industry.

“This is a pivotal moment for the telecommunication industry and its customers. Fiber networks are the foundation of Nigeria’s broadband ecosystem, providing the essential high-capacity backhaul required to deliver ultra-fast 4G and 5G speeds, as these next-generation mobile technologies rely on fiber infrastructure to ensure low latency, high reliability, and seamless data transmission.

“Last year, we experienced over 50,000 fiber cuts incidents across the country of which around 30,000 were attributed to Federal and State Road construction activities.

“In the extreme, some of these incidents had led to major network outages like the February 2024 nationwide MTN network outage.

“A key contributor to the increasing number of fiber cuts attributed to road construction activities is the lack of an efficient handshake mechanism between road construction companies and operators of the fiber infrastructure,” Maida said.