To put Osun State on a higher pedestal for the digital economy, agriculture, and telemedicine, Senator Ademola Adeleke’s administration has developed pertinent plans to quickly entrench the development of information and communication technology.

This was stated by Murtala Adekilekun Kehinde Jimoh, the Coordinating Director of the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology, while addressing attendees at a series of stakeholder consultation and validation workshops on State ICT and Innovation Policy currently taking place at the Staff Development Centre, behind the Osun State Government Secretariat.

The Coordinating Director, who was overjoyed to address the group, went on to describe Governor Adeleke’s commitment to positively transform the state in all ways aimed at bringing Osun up to par with the best technological practices in the world.

“With this exercise, Governor Adeleke is prepared to make history, particularly in the multi-billion naira sector of the digital economy, which has a great deal of potential for wealth and job creation. Osun is laying a very solid foundation to be incorporated into this global trend because the new economy is based on digital technology.

In Osun state, Mr. Governor has started a tech revolution. A state ICT policy, a state tech innovation policy, a state Google mapping process, a broadband fiber optic flag off, among other things, are all being launched for the first time in Osun state.

“Osun is slated to domesticate the Nigeria Start Up Act first in Nigeria. His Excellency aims for a Silicon Valley-style economy and a tech-driven Osun State that generates tech dollars.

The state would have accomplished many ICT-related development goals in line with the government’s tech innovation agenda by the time the current administration celebrated its 100th day in office, according to Adekilekun.

Adekilekun referred to the gathering of experts and stakeholders from governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as academicians from higher educational institutions, as a better method of drawing from the knowledge of experts and stakeholders. They brainstormed on how to best develop the State ICT and Innovation Policies.

“This is a way of contributing to the growth of the state,” he emphasized, “because at the end of the day, when His Excellency, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke approves the bill to be passed into law by the State Assembly, all contributors in this laudable effort would have their names written in gold.”

Participants from the state’s private and public universities, federal and state technological institutes, non-governmental organizations, and others described the program as timely and worthwhile while also praising the Osun state administration, which is led by Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke.

Business Chief Executives from Osun State applauded Governor Adeleke’s enormous strides, particularly for creating environments that allow new investors to launch their businesses, in another session titled “Stakeholders Consultation on Domestication of Nigeria’s StartUps Act”.

Jude Feranmi, an Abuja-based business consultant on the Nigeria Start-Up Act, claimed that the domestication of the Act by the PDP-led government in Osun State will open up new opportunities for the growth of technology-related talents among the state’s young people.

The Start-up consultant added that the consultation “will position Nigeria’s ecosystem as the digital technology centre in Africa”.

Following that, he urged participants to view the program’s opportunity as a way to contribute their own share to building a solid foundation for the future generations of investors who will create wealth and jobs.

At the conclusion of the second session of the program, the Coordinating Director of the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Adekilekun, expressed his appreciation for the participants and reaffirmed the administration of Governor Adeleke’s commitment to giving the entire state a facelift in all sectors. He claimed that this commitment was what led to the state’s current progress in less than 100 days since he took office as the chief executive officer of Osun state.

He declared in his conclusion that if the Startup Act becomes law, Osun will be the first state in Nigeria to domesticate and implement it.

Relevant parties from all spheres of life gathered at the Staff Development Centre to validate the domestication of the Nigeria Start-up Act as part of the activities planned for the achievement of Governor Adeleke’s Tech Innovation agenda.

Following the validation sessions, Senator Adeleke, the state’s head of government, will preside over the grand finale, which will feature a 5-in-1 event, including:

• The release of the Osun State ICT Policy;
• Osun State’s Tech Innovation Policy’s unveiling;
• Presentation of the Google Maps Report for Osun;
• The Osun Technology Innovation and Digital Economy Advisory Board was established.
• signing the letter presenting the Osun Startups Act, the first executive bill, to the state assembly;
• Launch of the Osun State broadband fiber optics project.