President Bola Ahmed Tinubu held crucial discussions with Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, on initiatives to advance Nigeria’s role in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital innovation.
In a post via his X handle, President Tinubu disclosed that the meeting, which took place in Paris, France on Wednesday, was targeted at exploring potential partnerships aimed at positioning Nigeria as a global technology hub.
The President explained that the engagement is a key step toward leveraging AI and digital technology for national growth and development.
“We are exploring partnership opportunities with Google, which will focus on five key areas: enhancing scalable cloud infrastructure, equipping our workforce with essential skills for the future, promoting AI innovation and research, driving cloud adoption, and elevating Nigeria’s standing in the global tech landscape as a hub for innovation and AI transition,” Tinubu said.
President Tinubu pointed out Nigeria’s emerging AI ecosystem emphasizing Awarri Technologies as a notable player in the sector. He noted that the federal government is collaborating with Awarri to develop critical AI software infrastructure structured for Nigeria’s unique needs in arts, culture, and languages. He added that these areas are also often overlooked by existing AI models.
“This includes data capture platforms and a large language model (LLM) for Nigerian languages in partnership with the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR),” Tinubu added.
Furthermore, President Tinubu said that the discussions with Google CEO align with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda. This tagged mark has also prioritized initiatives such as economic diversification through industrialization, digitization, and innovation.
President Tinubu emphasized that the AI initiative would create new opportunities, empower businesses, and establish Nigeria as a major force in the global digital economy.
“Nigeria is poised to take the lead in AI and technology—this is merely the start of an exciting journey!” Tinubu declared.
While reacting to the strategic meeting via an X post, Google Chief Executive Officer, Sundar Pichai said the occasion explored the potentials of AI in Nigeria and promising partnerships between the world’s largest search engine company and Nigeria.
“It was great meeting with President Tinubu @officialABAT. We talked about the immense potential of AI in Nigeria, and how we can partner to expand AI skills, enable innovation, and support Nigeria’s growing tech ecosystem,” he said.
On the supervising and implementation, President Tinubu disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE) will provide strategic initiative for the partnership, while the Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) will champion the implementation.
Tinubu’s drive for AI-driven development in Nigeria remains significant as it positions the country at the forefront of Africa’s digital transformation while leveraging global partnerships to drive innovation and economic diversification.
Also Read: DeepTech_Ready: FG to train 20,000 Nigerians on AI and data science.
Previous President Tinubu’s AI drive
In its plan to harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) potential responsibly and inclusively, President Tinubu’s administration recently approved the establishment of the National Artificial Intelligence Trust.
The Minister of Communications, Innovations, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, expressed that the final approval of the project by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) will make Nigeria a leading voice in Artificial Intelligence.
“Our commitment to position Nigeria as a leading voice in Artificial Intelligence received a significant boost with the approval of the establishment of the National Artificial Intelligence Trust by FEC,” he said.
Tijani expressed that the National Artificial Intelligence Trust, the first of its kind globally, will consist of 10 AI experts as well as the Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, and the Honourable Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.
In August 2023, the Ministry announced its plans to create the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy for Nigeria to responsibly steer the revolution towards achieving national goals around job creation, social inclusion, and sustainable development.
It also aims to build on the National Information Technology Development Agency’s (NITDA) plan to develop a National AI strategy by including top Artificial Intelligence researchers of Nigerian descent globally.
Also in the same vein, the Federal Government launched the DeepTech_Ready Upskilling program last month. The initiative is designed to train youths on advanced competencies in the field of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.
The program will provide 20,000 young Nigerians with advanced technical skills in data science and AI as it prepares them for careers in this rapidly growing field.
The initiative, which will be a 6-month per cohort program will be a combination of self-paced and on-site learning with online support. Courses to be offered include Advanced Data Analysis and Visualization, Data Science/Machine Learning, Data Architecture, Geospatial Data Science, and Computer Vision. Others are Natural Language Processing and Advanced Machine Learning Techniques.
