Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani is the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

An accomplished entrepreneur and business leader, he is a pioneer in the African startup ecosystem and has been instrumental in driving innovation and fostering the growth of tech startups across the continent.

He is the co-founder and former CEO of Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), the leading pan-African technology and innovation centre in Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda and Namibia. Founded in 2010, CcHUB has been pivotal in nurturing startups through mentorship programs, funding initiatives, and access to essential resources. Under his leadership, CcHUB became a vital catalyst for the African tech ecosystem, promoting collaboration, knowledge sharing and the development of groundbreaking solutions to local and global challenges. Dr. Tijani’s visionary leadership, passion for technology, and commitment to fostering a thriving startup ecosystem have made him a respected figure in the African tech communities. His dedication to creating opportunities and driving innovation continues to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs in Nigeria and beyond.

Prior to CcHUB, he led the networking and coordination of leading innovation agencies across Europe as European Innovation Manager at PERA, to standardise the varying methodologies for commercialising research results. He had also previously worked at the International Trade Centre, in Geneva Switzerland overseeing the design and implementation of technical support programmes geared towards enlightening and assisting exporters in Sub-Saharan Africa in maximising the use of information and communication technologies for export marketing.

Dr. Tijani is an exemplary scholar who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Jos, a Master’s degree in Information Systems and Management from Warwick University and a Doctorate degree in Innovation and Economic Development from the University of Leicester. He is also an adjunct professor at the Wits School of Governance, in South Africa. His PhD research focused on contributing to the network perspective of innovation capacity as a contextually relevant framework for explaining the adoption and adaptation of innovation in developing countries. It offers an alternative path to how African countries can effectively organise to strengthen their innovation ecosystems.

A Desmond Tutu Fellow and a fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law at the prestigious Stanford University, he was a member of the UK Advisory Committee on Digital Access Africa, a committee member for NESG on Science and Technology and a member of the Expert Advisory Group to the European Commission on mainstreaming technology and innovation in the relationship between Europe and Africa.