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Towards growing the Nigeria economy and shape the global future of the country, the Federal Government through the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy has charged Nigerian experts to develop a transformational and implementable Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy that will achieve the eight priorities of the present administration.
The experts included leading researchers, developers and innovators in the country.
The Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani gave the charge to participants at the opening ceremony of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Co-Creation Workshop holding in Abuja from 15th to 18th of April, 2024.
The scope of AI technology, he said, has a great depth and far-reaching capacity because it provides the opportunity for re-emerging nearly all things that border on Nigeria's national life.
In a statement by the Head, Press and Public Relations Unit, Kania Maliki Andeyaba, the Minister said because “we are part of the people that are blessed with advanced digital technology that truly represents the connectivity of humanity we have been dreaming of”.
According to him, the application of AI transforms every facet of governance whether it is in communication, entrepreneurship, agriculture, in public health, education and virtually in all sectors of the economy.
He said it also engenders national prosperity and development as it is obtainable in other developed economies.
Dr. Bosun told the participants that it is their responsibilities as members of this generation to ensure they are not just partakers in the use of AI technology, but they actually participate in the shaping of its development as well.
He therefore called on them to ensure they contribute to the technology by participating actively with the view to shaping the future of AI development in Nigeria.
He said “Our position is to ensure that our voices are represented in the development of this technology in a global group.
“I want to remind us that we are not far behind, the USA has its own perspectives on how the AI is to be developed and regulated; the Europeans have their approach on how the AI is to be developed and regulated and the Asians too have many approaches on how it should be developed and regulated”, the minister stated.
He said that there is nowhere in the world that AI is going to be based on divergence because till now "countries are still grounded consequent upon working in silos."
In the next 24 to 25 years, he said, there will be a convergence.
But the Minister queried “Do we need to wait until that convergence?”
The Minister therefore added “I am challenging everyone not to be focused only on AI Strategy that is limited to Nigeria nor the continent of Africa, but our focus will be on what a good AI will be for the global space”.
He also called on the participants to show leadership globally and that the world should be convergent with AI and not divergent.
Dr.Bosun reminded the Nigerian experts that for any technology that has the potential to influence what they think, how they think and what they do, there must be a technology that will raise the level of productivity significantly for the society.
He said that their goal as a nation, is to adapt a technology that will actually connect humanity to varied opportunities.
The Minister challenged them to both think local and at the same time globally for the progress of Nigeria as a country and Africa in general.
“Build a new way of AI that is for the entire world”, he added.
He commended all the agencies under the ministry, the AI Buds participants, Luminate, Google, Meta, Microsoft, UNESCO and UNDP as co-sponsors of the four-day Workshop.
In his welcome remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Engr. Faruk Faruk Yabo said AI has transformative potential for Nigeria.
He said “We are laying foundation for a future where AI is integral to every aspect of Nigerian life”.
He urged the participants to approach the task of developing an implementable strategy with a mindset focused on practicality.
He called on them to bear in mind that as they undertake this noble task, they should take cognizance of the country’s cultural values, traditional norms and other specific needs for national security and sovereignty.
Engr. Yabo said that the purpose of the workshop is for shaping the future of AI in Nigeria with the aim of redefining, refocusing and directing Nigeria and Africa to take its rightful position among the comity of technologically advanced nations of the world.
The DG of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, at the workshop, said AI is a cross-cutting and generic technology that can be applied everywhere.
He noted that the World Economic Forum said AI will add 15.7trn to global economy by 2030; and Mackenzy, Gen said AI can add $4.4trn to the global economy annually,
According to him, he believes that Nigeria can achieve economic diversification, national security and increase productivity by developing a robust AI national strategy.