Researchers of Nigerian heritage from all over the world are invited to submit applications to help the federal government develop the nation’s national artificial intelligence (AI) strategy.
Dr. Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, revealed this yesterday via X (Twitter), and he invited citizens to give the names of any eminent researchers they may know.
Co-creating a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy for Nigeria: A Document He Shared on X
”Tijani said the government is building on existing work done by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to develop a National Al Strategy, hence, it is expanding its co-creation approach to engage and include top Al researchers of Nigerian descent globally.”
“We are curating a list of the top researchers of Nigerian descent from all over the world to join us in co-creating a National AI Strategy. The strategy will help shape our approach to building innovative tech solutions to our most pressing national problems.”
“If there are any researchers you know, Nigerian and non-Nigerian, who have done some work on the Nigerian market, please share in the comments,” he stated.
The minister explained the necessity for an AI plan for Nigeria by stating that A has evolved into a multipurpose technology that is changing production and service delivery and has the ability to have a substantial impact on social advancement and economic success.
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).
“The International Finance Corporation projects that the strategic adoption of Al could add up to $234 billion to Africa’s GDP by 2030. Nigeria in this loop is considered to have a fast-growing technology start-up ecosystem (having attracted 25 percent of the $1.3 billion funding to African tech start-ups in 2021) and with proactive leadership, is well-positioned to leverage Al for economic diversification and inclusive growth. As an innovation leader on the African continent, Nigeria needs to develop a national strategy to harness the power of Al for sustainable development.”
“However, along with the opportunities, Al governance also poses some complex socio-technical challenges. As algorithms are deployed in high-stakes domains like healthcare, finance, and security, concerns are emerging around ethics, bias, transparency, job automation, and privacy. Both policymakers and researchers are of a consensus that a human-centered approach is essential to ensure Al systems are fair and accountable to all, across gender, ethnic and socioeconomic groups.”
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 aims to pioneer ethical and inclusive Al innovation that enhances welfare and increases opportunities for all its citizens through collaborative leadership, according to the statement.
