Nigeria’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has emphasized the importance of focusing on the practical applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Africa, rather than on the development of large language models (LLMs). Speaking at the Africa Hyperscalers Digital Infrastructure Outlook 2025, Abdullahi explained that the true value of AI for the continent lies in its real-world applications.
Abdullahi shared how NITDA is already embedding AI into its operations as a test bed to explore expansion across other ministries and agencies. The agency has identified three key areas where AI can have a significant impact. The first is machine learning and robotic process automation (RPA) in document automation. For example, NITDA scans physical letters and uses tools like Microsoft Power Automate to read the contents and automatically forward them to the relevant departments. This has drastically reduced operational costs and increased efficiency.

The second area is regulation, where AI is helping to analyze existing laws and industry information, making it easier for even low-skilled staff to draft effective regulations. Third, AI is being used to build a knowledge management system, enabling the transfer of institutional knowledge and improving organizational sustainability by allowing staff to interact with bots and handle operations more effectively.
Abdullahi highlighted that AI can significantly reduce operational costs and improve service delivery in both government agencies and the private sector. He pointed out the potential of AI in various sectors across Africa. For example, the financial industry can use AI to detect fraudulent transactions, while government agencies can use it to address challenges like identity verification. In healthcare, AI can extend quality care to rural communities, and in agriculture and education, AI could provide personalized solutions tailored to local needs.
He stressed that Africa’s focus should be on the practical applications of AI, rather than trying to compete globally in building large-scale models. Abdullahi advocated for an approach similar to that of China, which focuses on distilling large LLMs into smaller, more efficient models that require less computational power and are better suited to the continent’s needs.