Nigeria’s Largest Innovation Summit 2020:
Innovating In Critical Times

Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami)

BRIEF PROFILE OF THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL ECONOMY OF NIGERIA, DR ISA ALI IBRAHIM (PANTAMI)

Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) FNCS, FBCS, FIIM MCPN is the Honourable Minister of Communications and first-ever, of Digital Economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Born on the 20^th of October 1972, in Gombe state Nigeria, where he hails from.

Dr. Pantami graduated with a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science (B.Tech), from the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), and proceeded to acquire two Masters Degrees from the same institution in quick succession.One in Computer Science (MSc) and the other, an MBA in Technology Management with flying colours.

From then on, there was no looking back, as his scholarly pursuits took him to the faraway United Kingdom to one of the best and highly respected and recognized educational institutions globally; the Robert Gordon University Aberdeen Scotland, where he bagged a Doctorate in Computer Science (PhD), specializing in Computer Information Systems.

Under the leadership of Dr. Pantami, as the first-ever Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, a Digital Economy Policy and Strategy is currently being reviewed for implementation by an ably qualified team. As a man of many firsts, his successes in the industry have led to unprecedented changes in the country.

He also holds certificates in Digital Transformation from Harvard, Digital Strategy from both Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Institute of Management Development Loussaune, Switzerland, Strategic Leadership from Oxford University, and a University of Cambridge Certification in Management. The dynamic, inspirational agent of transformation, is also a conflict resolution expert with national and international experiences in that regard.

The youthful, resourceful, hardworking, and dedicated Dr. Pantami is a recipient of global awards too numerous to mention.

Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) who is popularly known as the Digital Minister, is a global IT citizen, a revered and highly respected Fellow of the Nigerian and British Computer Societies, and is happily married with children.

Prof Umar Garba Danbatta

Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, is the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), an Erudite Engineer, Astute Administrator, Philanthropist, and an Outstanding Nation Builder per Excellence.

Born in Danbatta Local Government Council of Kano State, Prof. Danbatta obtained his BEng, MSc degrees from the Technical University of Wroclaw in Poland, and his Ph.D. from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) UK respectively.

The Distinguished Executive Vice-Chairman served as a lecturer in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Technology of Bayero University Kano for 32 years, where he taught courses in telecommunications engineering and electronics and held academic positions of Dean of the Faculty and Head of Department at different times.

His main administrative responsibilities, in and outside the university, included:

Deputy and Acting Dean of Students’ Affairs

Administrator of the Works Department

Director of the Centre for Information Technology (CIT).

Member of over 60 University committees and task forces, including numerous stints as Chairman.

Served on over 20 committees, prominent among which was his Chairmanship of the Implementation Committee of Kano State University of Science & Technology, after which he became its pioneer Deputy and Acting Vice-Chancellor when it took off in 2001.

Prof. Danbatta has supervised more than 60 PhD, MEng and BEng projects in diverse areas of telecommunications and has also served as external  examiner  to  seven universities and  polytechnics  and  is  an  assessor,  technical  reviewer and editorial member to eight research journals.

He has to his credit more than 60 articles in journals, conference proceedings and technical reports. He is also the author of a six-chapter, 167-page book titled Elements of Static Engineering Electromagnetics.

He is a recipient of 18 distinguished awards and certificates of honour. Prof. Danbatta has served two terms of five years as a Member of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), and is a COREN registered engineer and Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE).

He is also a Fellow of the Renewable and Alternative Energy Society (FRAES). Danbatta who received an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Science (D.Sc.) from the University of Jos, Nigeria is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering.

He  was  the  Vice  President  of  the  Digital  Bridge  Institute  (DBI), International Centre for Advanced Communications Studies, which was established in the year 2004 by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to build capacity for the Nigerian/African telecom industry in the diverse areas of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). While at DBI he developed expertise in the following major areas of ICT implementation, policy and regulation:

– Regulation of the Telecommunications Sector of the Nigerian Economy;

– Competition, Interconnection and Price Regulations in a Developing Economy;

– Issues concerning Authorization of Telecommunications Services in a Developing Economy;

– Strategies for ensuring Universal Access and Service to Telecommunications Services;

– Strategies towards Effective Spectrum Management in a Developing Economy;

– Issues on Institutional and Legal Framework for Effective Regulation of Telecommunications Services; and

– New and Emerging Technologies and Impact on Regulation of the Telecommunications Sector of a Developing Economy.

Fellowships:

Fellow, Nigeria Academy of Engineering (FAEng)

Fellow, Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE)

Fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (IEEE)

Fellow, Renewable and Alternative Energy Society of Nigeria (FRAES)

Honorary Degrees:

• D (Honorary Causa), University of Jos

Until his appointment as the EVC, Prof. Danbatta, was a member of the Technical and Implementation Committee of the Northwest University Kano, served as the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the Kano University of Science & Technology, Wudil.

After his appointment as the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)) in August 2015, he has tremendously transformed the Telecom Sector in the areas of Staff Welfare, Infrastructural Development, Consumer’s Empowerment and Satisfaction, Job Creation, Standard Information and Communication Technology Revolution, Research, Rebranding of the Telecom Sector, Cordial Relationship with Stakeholders, Increase in Active Mobile Broadband Penetration, Efficient Monitoring and Value Driven usage for the provision of Different Types of Services. NCC under Professor Danbatta is a recipient of several awards and recognitions both local and internationally.

These include:

European Award for Best Practices 2016 by an EU Organisation, in Brussels Belgium.

Quality Achievement Award for Best Practices by European Society for Quality Research (ESQR) 2017

Exceptional Public Service Performance in the Platinum Category (Bureau of Public Service Reform)

Leadership Newspapers Award of Government Agency of the Year

Chief Executive Officer of the Year (Tell Magazine)

African Regulator of the Year at the African Information Technology and Telecom Awards (AITTA) in Accra, Ghana.

Regulator of the Year by African Leadership magazine in New York, USA.

Telecom Personality of the Year- 12^th Nigerian Telecoms Award, Lagos.

Telecom Man of the Year 2017–Nigeria Tech Innovation & Telecom Awards (NTITA)

Telecom Man of the Year 2018–Nigeria Tech Innovation & Telecom Awards (NTITA)

Lead Presenter- Senior Executive Course (SEC) of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPS)

2016 Nigerian Academy of Engineering Lecture Presenter

Regulator of the Year by Nigerian Communications Week

Fellow of Renewal and Alternative Energy Society of Nigeria (RAESON)

Personality of the Year by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce Industry, Mines and Agriculture

African Quality Achievement Award 2016 by African Quality Institute

Human Rights Government Agency of the Year by Constitutional Rights Awareness and Liberty Initiative (CRALI)

2017-Beacon of ICT Awards as Telecom Regulator of the Year

Beacon of ICT Awards: Best Use of Social Media

Authority Newspaper Exemplary Public Service Award, 2017

Most Responsive CEO of the Year (Public Service) by House of Representatives Press Corp (2018)

The Outstanding Leadership in Broadband Penetration (The 2^nd Daar Awards for Outstanding Performance & Good Governance) 2018

Award of excellence in Technological Development & Leadership Heroes (Kano Heroes Awards 2017).

Pan African Telecomm Regulatory Excellence Nigerian Communications Commission (Africa Digital Heroes Awards (October 2019)

Government Agency of the Year (Beacon of ICT Awards)

Telecom Personality of the Year Nigeria Tech Innovation & Telecom Awards (NTITA) September 2019.

Regulator of the Year Award (NCC) Nigeria Tech Innovation & Telecom Awards (NTITA) September 2019.

National Public Servant of the year, 2018 Business Journal Award (September 2019)

Telecom Personality of the Year ICT Watch Awards (July 2019)

Regulator of the Year Award ICT Watch Awards (July 2019)

Award of Excellence by Head of Civil Service of the Federation to NCC (September 2019)

ITU Telecom World Awards 2019 to NCC for its commitment as a valuable partner (September 2019.

Most Innovative Federal Regulatory Agency of the Year (NiTA Awards November 2019)

Human Rights Telecoms Defender Awards to the EVC- Wheel of Hope Human Rights Foundation, August 2020

Icon of a Greater Nigeria Award to the EVC- Youth Coalition Against Corruption (YOCAC), August 2020

National Service Excellence Award to the EVC- National Association of State Assembly Legislators (NASAL), September 2020

As a completely detribalized Nigerian, honour came home for Professor Danbatta when the National Association of Oduduwa Students, a pan-Yoruba Students Union, made him the ‘Icon of Integrity and Agent of Communications Development’

Danbatta joined the list of Eminent Nigerians who have delivered the Convocation Lecture of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, by delivering the 46^th Convocation Lecture.

Danbatta declared “2017 as the Year of the Consumer”. This is to underscore the importance he attaches to the Consumer.

In August 2020, he was re-appointed as Executive Vice-Chairman for another tenure of five years by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Professor Umar Garba Danbatta is an embodiment of Excellence, an epitome of humility and a leader per excellence. He is happily married with Children.

Professor Tony Bailetti

Professor Tony Bailetti holds a faculty appointment in Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business and the Faculty of Engineering and Design (carleton.ca). Professor Bailetti is the past Director of Carleton’s Technology Management Innovation (TIM) program (timprogram.ca).

He is the founder of the Scale Early, Rapidly and Securely community (globalgers.org) and the TIM Review (timreview.ca). He is the Chair of the Board of the Nigeria-Canada Trade and Investment Group (nctig.org). He is the lead for the AI for Local Value, a program designed to accelerate the deployment of AI to create value for companies and cities.

His areas of expertise include
i) Technology entrepreneurship; ii) Scaling companies early, rapidly, and securely; and iii) Cross-border e-commerce. He has supervised the completion of 130 theses and projects from students in masters’ programs in engineering and business.

In 2019, Professor Bailetti was awarded the 2019 Contribution to Entrepreneurship Award from TiE Ottawa. He was elected Chair of the Board of the Nigeria Canada Investment Summit in 2018. In 2016, Dr. Bailetti won Ontario’s Leadership in Immigrant Employment Award in the Entrepreneur category.

This category acknowledges an immigrant entrepreneur who has contributed to Ontario’s globally connected economy and prosperity by creating jobs and valuing workforce diversity and inclusion. In 2013, he received an In-TAC Award for Connecting New Organizations with International Professionals.

In 2011, he won the Ottawa Innovation Community Award from the Ottawa Centre for Regional Innovation (today’s Invest Ottawa). In 2007, he won a Carleton University Leadership Breakthrough Award and, in 1996, a Carleton University Teaching Award.

Professor Bailetti has published in IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Research Policy, R&D Management, Technology Innovation Management Review, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Information Technologies and Control, Journal of Innovation Economics, European Journal of Marketing, and the Int. J. Product Development. He has also contributed articles to many conference proceedings.

Professor Bailetti earned a Ph.D.  and an MBA from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, where he was a Fulbright Scholar from 1971 to 1975 and an American Iron and Steel Institute Doctoral Fellow from 1975 to 1976.