The Nigerian Federal Government is seeking applications from researchers of Nigerian origin worldwide to contribute to the development of the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy. Dr. Bosun Tijani, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, made this announcement on Twitter, encouraging Nigerians to recommend top researchers for this initiative.
Tijani, in a document shared on X, discusses Nigeria’s efforts to create a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, building upon the work of the NITDA. They aim to involve top AI researchers of Nigerian origin worldwide in co-creating this strategy to address national challenges. He invites suggestions for researchers, whether Nigerian or not, who have worked on the Nigerian market.
The minister explained the necessity for an AI plan for Nigeria by stating that AI has evolved into a multipurpose technology that is changing production and service. Al may, in his opinion, provide up to $15.7 trillion to the world economy by 2030, of which $9.1 trillion would come from new products and services and $3 trillion would come from enhanced productivity (PwC, 2018).
According to the International Finance Corporation, the strategic deployment of Al could boost Africa’s GDP by up to $234 billion by 2030. In this loop, Nigeria is regarded as having a rapidly expanding ecosystem for technology start-ups (having drawn 25% of the $1.3 billion in funding for African tech start-ups in 2021) and is well-positioned to take advantage of Al for economic diversification and inclusive growth thanks to proactive leadership.
He says that although there are opportunities, Al governance also presents some difficult socio-technical problems. As algorithms are used in risky industries like healthcare, banking, and security, worries about ethics, bias, transparency, job automation, and privacy are starting to surface. The consensus among policymakers and researchers is that a human-centered strategy is necessary to guarantee that Al systems are fair and responsible to everyone.
It is essential that Nigeria adopt a national Al strategy to responsibly guide the Al revolution toward attaining national objectives related to job creation, social inclusion, and sustainable development. Nigeria seeks to pioneer ethical and inclusive Al innovation that enhances welfare and increases possibilities for all of its population through collaborative leadership.
