By Clifford Agugoesi, Editor-in-Chief

Nigerian leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu today assigned portfolios to ministers recently screened and okayed by the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly-the Senate, while tweaking some of the ministries, especially the Ministry of Communications & Digital Economy, which has been renamed  Ministry of Communications, Innovation  and Digital  Economy and appointing Bosun Tijani to head it.

Born  on July 20,  1977, Mr. Tijani is a Nigerian-British entrepreneur, co-founder and CEO of Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), the leading Pan-African innovation and technology centre. Co-Creation Hub works at the forefront of accelerating the application of innovation and social capital for a better society.

Tijani is widely acknowledged as a pioneer and industry leader in the African technology ecosystem and was named as one of the 100 Most Influential People on the continent by New Africa Magazine. He initiated the first visit of Mark Zuckerberg to Nigeria in August 2016 as part of efforts to place Africa on the global technology map.

He has also hosted other global technology leaders in Nigeria, including former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in 2019 and most recently in June, 2023, hosted a fireside chat with Microsoft founder and co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates. In 2019, under his leadership, CcHUB acquired Kenya’s iHub and launched the CcHUB Design Lab in Kigali, Rwanda in the same year. He has also expanded CcHUB’s Pan-African footprint into Southern Africa by opening CcHUB Namibia, the main tech hub in Windhoek, Namibia in 2023.

Tijani is also currently an associate researcher at the Wits School of Governance, with research interests in collaborative projects that inform practice through support to policymakers, inventors and entrepreneurs while advancing theories in innovation systems and governance.

Others assigned portfolios with Tijani include:

• Minister of State, Environment and Ecological Management, Ishak Salako
• Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun
• Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Bunmi Tunji
• Minister of Power, Adedayo Adelabu
• Minister of State, Health and Social Welfare Tunji Alausa
• Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake
• Minister of Tourism Lola Ade-John
• Minister of Transportation, Adegboyega Oyetola
• Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Anite
• Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji
• Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha
• Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy
• Minister of Works, David Umahi
• Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo
• Minister of Youth, Abubakar Momoh
• Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu
• Minister of State, Gas Resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo
• Minister of State, Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri
• Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh
• Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike
• More