NIEEE President Seeks Policy Reforms to Attract Digital Infrastructure Investment

Funmi Ogundare and Esther Oluku

The President of the Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE), Dr. Felix Adegboye, weekend, called on the Federal Government to create a more enabling environment that will attract investors to deploy resilient and intelligent digital solutions capable of accelerating Nigeria’s economic growth.
Adegboye who made the appeal at his investiture as the 22nd President and Chairman-in-Council of the institute, alongside the induction of new fellows, in Lagos, noted that investors typically seek profitable environments.
Speaking on the theme, ‘Resilient and Intelligent Digital Solutions: Sure Way to Economic Growth of Nigeria’, he warned that weak or unfavourable policies discourage investment and ultimately hinder national growth.
According to him, “improving the policy climate is essential for Nigeria to unlock the full benefits of digital innovation.”
The president emphasised the urgent need to strengthen Nigeria’s power infrastructure through increased investment, stressing that stable electricity remains the backbone of modern systems, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), finance and manufacturing.
Adegboye also unveiled plans to expand the institute’s presence nationwide and deepen engagement with federal and state Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to support policy development and strengthen collaboration. He added that the institute intends to broaden international partnerships and offer technical expertise to government, particularly in policy implementation and enforcement where gaps still exist.
On the country’s readiness for real-time electronic transmission of election results, he said nationwide internet penetration remains a key factor. He identified additional concerns, including power supply for both service providers and users, security considerations and the robustness of network infrastructure. He however, maintained that real-time transmission is achievable since election results are already collated in stages.
In his remarks, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, emphasised on the critical role engineers play in driving national development, and assured the professionals of the federal government’s commitment to partnering with them to build a better Nigeria.
Yilwatda, who was also conferred with a fellowship of the Institute, charged the new leadership to advance the engineering profession.
Represented by the Head of Lagos Ports Operations for the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Vonkur David Nankpark
he pledged a ₦10 million donation to support the initiatives of the NIEEE.
He noted that the contribution underscores his belief in the critical role engineers play in driving national development and technological advancement.
In his remarks, the Guest Lecturer and Chief Executive Officer of XHS Nigeria Limited, Dr. Olufemi Okunade, expressed concern that Nigeria still has significant work to do to strengthen the resilience of its digital ecosystem. He disclosed that internet penetration at the start of 2024 stood at about 45 to 46 per cent, representing roughly 103 million users.
Okunade observed that more than half of the country’s population remains offline, underscoring the urgency of addressing infrastructure gaps, skills shortages, cybersecurity and trust deficits, as well as fragmentation and poor interoperability.
” Tackling these challenges would unlock growth in financial inclusion and fintech, agriculture and food systems, power and smart infrastructure, and public sector efficiency,” he stated.
He challenged the institute under Adegboye’s leadership to take bold and deliberate steps to position engineers at the centre of Nigeria’s digital transformation. Okunade further called for the development of digital solutions that remain functional despite power disruptions, scalable platforms that can withstand high demand, and intelligent systems that use data and AI responsibly to advance national prosperity.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the occasion and Managing Director of IRecharge Tech-Innovations, Tomi Araromi, urged stronger collaboration among engineers, financiers, innovators and regulators. He advocated the creation of practical platforms that would enable coders and system designers to jointly develop solutions to Nigeria’s pressing challenges.