Nigeria is gearing up to launch another major initiative to boost Artificial Intelligence (AI) development, says Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani. Following his participation in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), he revealed that on October 7th, the government will roll out a $1.5 million AI support fund in Abuja. The initiative, backed by Luminate, a global foundation, aims to further advance the country’s AI landscape.
The Ministry announced a N100 million AI fund in collaboration with Google, which attracted a backlash from the country’s tech community, as being too small to truly fuel AI growth in Nigeria.
Pooling resources for a bigger AI future
Addressing the concerns surrounding the N100 million fund, Tijani explained that people might have misunderstood its scope, focusing only on the numbers without considering the broader support and efforts behind it.
“Our approach to AI is not about limiting ourselves to local resources,” Tijani said. “We are pooling together resources, and this additional $1.5 million from Luminate is part of that bigger picture.”
In addition to financial backing, the Ministry is also working on another exciting project: the National Artificial Intelligence Trust. This initiative, in partnership with AI Collaborative, will emphasize developing AI that supports local languages. The goal is to create ethical, sustainable AI systems tailored to Nigeria’s unique needs.
Tijani elaborated, “The Trust will be responsible for ensuring that AI development in Nigeria is safe and ethical. And as we build language models and digitize our data, we can also monetize these efforts, reinvesting the profits to fuel future AI projects.”
How tech can solve grassroots challenges
One of the big questions is how these large-scale tech initiatives will impact everyday Nigerians, particularly those facing grassroots challenges like poverty and infrastructure gaps. “Big projects often don’t get immediate praise,” he admitted. “But the long-term benefits are significant, especially when it comes to infrastructure development.” He pointed to the government’s ongoing work to install 90,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables across the country, a project that could take up to five years to fully implement.
Although it’s a massive undertaking that won’t yield instant results, Tijani stressed its importance: “We can’t ignore these projects just because there’s poverty. In the medium term, initiatives like this will alleviate a lot of the problems people face.”
According to the Minister, the government’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MT) initiative has already started creating job opportunities for Nigerians, particularly those trained in technical fields.
What this means for Nigeria’s AI ecosystem
During the National AI workshop earlier in the year, Tijani announced the creation of the AI Collective, a group focused on fostering AI innovation for the nation’s collective prosperity. This is where the new $1.5 million fund comes in.
Luminate’s contribution will be spread over the next three years to support the AI Collective, managed by three key organizations: Data Science Nigeria, Lagos Business School, and the Center for Journalism, Innovation, and Development. These organizations will bring together experts from various sectors—civil society, academia, and tech—to collaborate on research, governance, and innovation. The AI Collective is based at the National Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), making it a hub for driving AI growth in Nigeria.
Why this Matters
The world is experiencing the AI revolution and Nigeria is positioning itself as an AI leader in Africa. From funding new projects to developing AI solutions in local languages, the government is working hard to ensure that this technology benefits everyone. While it may take time to see the full impact, the groundwork being laid today will shape the future of tech in Nigeria.
So, whether you’re a tech enthusiast or just curious about the latest developments, it’s clear that Nigeria’s AI revolution is well underway. The question now is, how will you be part of it?
