The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), was recently honoured with the prestigious 2020 Minister of the Year Award.
The award was coordinated by the Blueprint Newspaper at a ceremony that took place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel on Thursday, 3rd June 2021.
Pantami came top in the keenly contested award at the Blueprint Newspapers’ 10th year anniversary and 2020 Impact Series/Awards.
He was selected as the winner based on his major achievements in the three major priority areas of the government – Economy, Transparency and Security, and the excellence with which he carried out his task of leading the Communications and Digital Economy sector.
According to the coordinators of the Award, Dr Pantami stood out as a result of the significant role the ICT sector played in lifting Nigeria out of recession, the rapid development of the digital economy sector under his watch, his exemplary leadership and synergy among the Ministry’s parastatals, to mention but a few.
The ICT was the fastest growing sector in 2020 and its 14.70% growth rate in the 4th Quarter of 2020 played a key role in enabling the Nigerian economy exit recession.
A total of 23 Emergency Communication Centres were commissioned under his watch and 12 more are almost ready for commissioning. Over 300 centres were also established to support the growth of the digital economy.
The Awards were graced by the President of the Senate and other leading members of the society.
It had a number of high profile recipients like a former President and some serving governors, who were conferred with awards in various categories for some accomplishments in different endeavours.
The organisers noted that the event was “organised to honour key political actors, individuals and heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) who have proved their worth in specific areas of governance such as education, urban renewal and rural infrastructure and the ease of doing business, among others”.
Speaking through his Technical Assistant (Information Technology), Dr Femi Adeluyi, the Minister thanked the organisers for recognising his modest achievements in the Communications and Digital Economy sector.
He also stated that he strongly believes that the Award will further energize he and his team to contribute meaningfully in the service of the country.