The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) is advocating for the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digitalisation in the workplace as part of efforts to enhance occupational safety and improve productivity.
According to the Fund, the adoption of advanced technologies would play a significant role in identifying, predicting, and mitigating workplace hazards, thereby reducing accidents and injuries across various sectors.
NSITF emphasises that leveraging digital tools and AI-driven systems in work environments aligns with global trends in workplace safety and is crucial for fostering a safer, smarter, and more efficient labour force in Nigeria.
Speaking at an event in Abuja to mark the 2025 World Day of Occupational Safety and Health OSH, the Managing Director of NSITF, Olawaseun Faleye, said the adoption of Artificial Intelligence and Digitalisation will ensure workers’ safety in Nigeria.
Faleye also cautioned that while embracing technology, it is important not to lose sight of the core principles that uphold safety and health in the workplace.
“AI would introduce innovations in workplace safety with prediction, prevention and protection revolutionised, which will in turn, promote safety and health in the workplace,” Faleye said.
Faleye emphasised the need for continuous learning and adaptation, highlighting the importance of investing in training and education to ensure workers are proficient in using modern tools and technologies.
According to him, it is essential to ensure that appropriate compliance ethics and proper safeguards are in place.
While stressing that workers’ safety must remain paramount in every organisation, Faleye reaffirmed NSITF’s commitment to protecting the well-being of Nigerian workers.
He commended the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) for its continued support, and also praised the event organisers for bringing workplace safety and health issues to the forefront.
Welcoming participants to the event, the Executive Director of Operations at NSITF, Mojisolaoluwa Alli-Macaulay, described it as a gathering of experts, practitioners, and stakeholders to deliberate on best practices and challenges in adopting AI and digitalisation to enhance safety and workers’ well-being.
She said the aim of equipping OSH professionals with the required knowledge and skills to tap into AI and Digitalisation, as well as tackle its challenges for a safer and healthier workplace in Nigeria, can not be overemphasised.
In his goodwill message, the Director General of NECA, Smart Oyerinde, expressed concern over the current state of workplace environments in Nigeria. He called for conscious and deliberate efforts to improve conditions, ensuring the safety, health, and overall well-being of all workers.
According to him, the event is an opportunity to restate the commitment to workers’ safety and deepen the partnership among stakeholders.
“AI has come to stay and is shaping things and how we respond to safety in the workplace,” he said.
He restated NECA’s commitment to a safer and healthier work environment for Nigerian workers, revealing ongoing free training in this regard.
Also in a message, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Safety Standard, David Zakarias, lauded the NSITF Managing Director for his courage and doggedness in improving the Fund.
He posited that AI has the potential to transform the way “we prevent, monitor and respond to hazards“.
The Committee Chairman advocated a worker-centred approach in the adoption of technology, saying, “behind every tool and innovation are humans. An innovation can only be measured in terms of the lives it protects.”
He reassured the gathering that the House of Representatives remained steadfast in its collective pursuit of safety in the workplace.
The forum, themed “Revolutionising Health and Safety: The Role of AI and Digitalisation at Work”, was organised by the Health, Safety and Environment Department of the NSITF to explore the impact of AI and digitalisation on enhancing workplace safety and health.
