Seun Ogunleye

A pragmatic and visionary professional, who is never satisfied with status quo and believes in continuous improvement

[Dr. 'Bosun Tijani @bosuntijani]

Today my heart is filled with deep joy as we announce the Expression of Interest for the National Digital Economy Research Clusters— a ₦12 billion research funding scheme designed to place ideas, evidence, and research at the centre of Nigeria’s digital transformation.

This programme is being funded under Project BRIDGE, our initiative to deploy 90,000km of fibre optic backbone infrastructure across Nigeria to expand connectivity and enable a modern digital economy.

As we deepen our digital infrastructure coverage , thoughtful evidence based approaches are required to be deployed in society to ensure everyone benefits from this significant investment.

Too often, the ideas shaping digital policy come predominantly from markets and political cycles rather than from research, evidence, and long-term thinking.

A quote that captures this sentiment comes to mind:

“The state of a society is a reflection of the ideas that dominate it — when good ideas spread, nations prosper; when bad ideas prevail, nations decay.”

Through this programme, Nigeria will establish six national research clusters across key pillars of the digital economy:

• Connectivity, Access, and Meaningful Use
• Digital Public Infrastructure and Digital Government
• Digital Skills, Education, and Human Capital
• Digital Economy, Jobs, and Livelihoods
• Trust, Safety, Consumer Protection, and Online Harms
• Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies

These research clusters will be led by up to 36 distinguished professors, from 36 Nigerian universities working with international academic partners.

Across the clusters, over 200 researchers, including Postdoctoral Fellows and PhD candidates will generate rigorous, policy-relevant research to guide Nigeria’s digital economy for years to come.

For me, the goal goes beyond research output. We are looking for better policies that lead to stronger institutions and a more prosperous society.

Despite the scale of the other initiatives we are delivering at the Ministry, this is one of the most meaningful to me personally, because it plants seeds that will grow long after any one administration.

If you are part of an academic or research institution committed to producing rigorous, policy-relevant research, you can review the Terms of Reference (TOR) in the EOI we are releasing today here - https://t.co/etYInD7KRR and submit proposals to lead and participate in these national research clusters.

Because nations that lead the future are not simply those that deploy infrastructure — they are the ones that cultivate ideas.

In the coming week, we will host a press conference to further elaborate on this announcement. I encourage Vice-Chancellors of universities across Nigeria to look out for detailed information and engagement opportunities.

#NigerianExcellence

[Seun Ogunleye @Seun1228]

Greatest gift… have you received Him?

[Dr. 'Bosun Tijani @bosuntijani]

We just released N-ATLAS v1 — Nigeria’s open-source, multilingual & multimodal Large Language Model — on the sidelines of #UNGA80 in New York.

Starting with Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Nigerian-accented English, N-ATLAS places Africa’s voices and diversity at the foundation of AI.

This is the first step in a broader journey to make Africa a contributor and leader in shaping AI’s future.

Explore & download N-ATLAS here: https://t.co/48Hqnay6Tr

#NATLAS #InclusiveAI #AfricaInAI #UNGA80

[Seun Ogunleye @Seun1228]

@bosuntijani @TIME Congratulations Honorable Minister @bosuntijani. Greater successes and blessings ahead

[Seun Ogunleye @Seun1228]

@bosuntijani @ITU Congratulations HM

[Seun Ogunleye @Seun1228]

@bosuntijani Great grace to deliver and exceed expectations be given to you and your team. @bosuntijani

[Seun Ogunleye @Seun1228]

“But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you [setting you on a firm foundation] and will protect and guard you from the evil one.”
2 Thessalonians 3:3 AMP https://t.co/hVWJb3biqm

[Seun Ogunleye @Seun1228]

“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”
Ephesians 6:14-15 KJV https://t.co/NgJGYacVAA

[Seun Ogunleye @Seun1228]

Absolutely true!!!

[Seun Ogunleye @Seun1228]

Loving others…

[Dr. 'Bosun Tijani @bosuntijani]

Building a pipeline of technical talent is a lot easier when young people have early exposure to science and technology, so I am delighted to announce that we have partnered with the Raspberry Pi Foundation @RaspberryPi_org to set up Code Clubs across Nigeria, starting with 17 previously unused Knowledge Exchange Centres built by the ministry. These clubs will enable young people aged 7 to 17 years to learn a broad spectrum of coding and technology related subjects.

If you recall, we took some time at the start of our term to take stock of the available physical spaces built over the years by our ministry and agencies, with the intent of activating these spaces for the benefit of our people. Leveraging the Knowledge Exchange Centres from that list is a first step on that journey and we hope to expand this initiative to more of these locations nationwide. #NigerianExcellence

Please read more about our partnership with the Raspberry Pi Foundation here.
https://t.co/zQcuw8u8Fn

[Seun Ogunleye @Seun1228]

The medicine that the world desperately need👇🏼

[Seun Ogunleye @Seun1228]

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.”
1 John 4:7 KJV https://t.co/JeSdbRgwC5

[Dr. 'Bosun Tijani @bosuntijani]

It was an honour to speak at the @AISafetySummit 2023 in the UK earlier today alongside other ministers of ICT. The summit is a gathering of global stakeholders including governments, leading AI companies, experts in research and civil society groups.

As a nation of innovators and entrepreneurs, Nigeria must recognise the significance of Artificial Intelligence and the urgent need to explore and use it for the good of humanity. I would also like to thank the UK Government for inviting us to be part of the UK AI for Development Programme which will support our efforts to improve AI research and inclusive datasets.

This partnership is a recognition of our commitment to the growth of AI in Nigeria as outlined in our Strategic Blueprint and evidenced by our initial launch of the National AI Research Scheme. #NigerianExcellence

[Seun Ogunleye @Seun1228]

@bosuntijani God has your back dear minister. You are doing a great job

[Dr. 'Bosun Tijani @bosuntijani]

The reaction to #3MTT from every part of #Nigeria is incredibly inspiring. Over 160k unique people from all over the nation. We will rise up to your call!

[Seun Ogunleye @Seun1228]

https://t.co/HiPw61c4qD

[Dr. 'Bosun Tijani @bosuntijani]

I am excited to release our draft Strategic Blueprint for the @FMoCDENigeria today. Please download the document here - https://t.co/WSgvpk02kI

We made a commitment to share this document with you all in our spirit of openness and co-creation. Our blueprint has been carefully crafted based on extensive engagement with stakeholders from our ministry - departments, units and parastatals, ecosystem stakeholders and my immediate team.

It is designed as a living document outlining our high level focus areas, as we firm up plans to operationalise the goals shared in the document. I encourage you all to share your thoughts with us by reaching us at the email address provided within the document.

I am confident about our next steps as we activate this blueprint and deliver on our plans in line with the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s @officialABAT Renewed Hope Agenda, for the good of all.

We’re ready to go, are you? #NigerianExcellence

[Seun Ogunleye @Seun1228]

@pauladefarasin Powerful

[Paul Adefarasin @pauladefarasin]

Forgiveness Opens Doors!! You’ve got to listen to this, friends 🎉