Driving Nigeria’s Digital Future: Reflections from the 11th National Council Meeting in Kano

From January 22nd to 26th, 2024, I had the privilege of joining fellow leaders at the 11th National Council on Communications and Digital Economy in Kano. This gathering brought together commissioners, ministers, and technology leaders from across Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT to align on the country’s digital agenda.

What the Council Represents

The National Council on Communications and Digital Economy is the highest deliberative forum for digital policy in Nigeria. It sets the direction for broadband expansion, digital economy regulation, AI adoption, cybersecurity standards, and skills development — with implications for every state in the federation.

Key Themes from Kano

Three themes dominated the conversation in Kano: the urgency of broadband infrastructure expansion to underserved communities; the need for a coherent national AI strategy that accounts for state-level implementation; and the challenge of building digital skills at scale across a population of over 220 million.

For Niger State, these themes were not abstract. They mapped directly onto the transformation work we were already building — from our LMS platform to our fibre right-of-way policy to our digital skills partnerships with Microsoft and UNDP.

Sub-National Leadership at the National Table

One of the most important things a state commissioner or DG can do at a national forum is not just to listen — but to bring evidence. Niger State’s measurable outcomes on AI payroll reform, cloud migration, and digital skills gave us a credible voice in shaping the national conversation. Sub-national governments that lead with data are taken seriously. Those that speak only in aspiration are not.