The Ogun Tech Community, a coalition of technology professionals, startups, innovation hubs, and digital experts across the state, has called on the Ogun State Government to fulfill its pledge to establish a dedicated Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
In a press release in Abeokuta, the group also urged the government to restructure the current Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology by renaming it the Ministry of Education, while setting up a separate ministry to drive ICT development.
President of the community, Adekunle Durosinmi, noted that the establishment of a Ministry of ICT would enable Ogun State to align with federal initiatives, implement key policies such as the Nigeria Startup Act, and fully develop the state’s Silicon Hill project to nurture globally competitive tech talent.
He stressed that Nigeria has already demonstrated leadership at the national level with the creation of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, which has championed critical frameworks like the Startup Act.
However, Durosinmi argued that such opportunities were not being maximized in Ogun State due to the absence of a dedicated ICT ministry.
According to him, Ogun is strategically positioned, being the home of Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, and Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity.
Yet, he warned that without a functional ICT ministry, national opportunities risk being diverted or underutilized.
Durosinmi concluded that Ogun State has the innovators, talent, and national representation required to lead Nigeria’s digital economy, but emphasized that the missing link is the institutional framework to harness and maximize these advantages.
