The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to establish research centers dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain technology across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
This initiative, revealed at the IoT West Africa Conference in Lagos, is part of a broader effort to build a robust technology research ecosystem in the country.
The announcement was made by Aristotle Onumo, who represented NITDA’s Director General, Kashifu Inuwa.
The planned research centres aim to foster development and create innovation sandboxes for startups, focusing on IoT, blockchain technology, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), additive manufacturing, AI, and robotics.
NITDA’s initiative is expected to significantly support Nigerian startups by providing resources and infrastructure to develop products in these emerging technological fields.
In addition, the agency will bolster the federal government’s 3MTT program, which aims to train three million technical talents by 2027. The 3MTT program was launched in November 2023 by Minister Bosun Tijani.
In a related development, the Nigerian government has launched its first multilingual large language model (LLM). Supported by local AI firms, including NITDA and the National Centre for AI and Robotics (NCAIR), the LLM will be trained in five low-resource languages and accented English.
This launch is a testament to Nigeria’s growing capabilities in the field of AI and its commitment to inclusivity in technology development.
