The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, has said that the federal government is taking the lead in driving the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Nigeria because it wants to set the pace for the private sector.
Tijani stated this on Monday at a one-day AI stakeholders engagement on Monday in Abuja.
According to him, contrary to the belief in some quarters that the technology should be driven by the private sector, the development and evolution of AI require the government to have clarity around the role of AI in society and determine what policy should be used.
The Minister pointed out that there is no country in the world where the government is not an active player in AI initiatives.
“If we get it right in the public sector, it will permeate the private sector. With time, the adoption and deployment of AI will not only transform our national lives but will shape the future of things in our country,” he said.
AI adoption by MDAs
While noting that the government has been prioritizing digital services in the public sector to make the adoption of AI seamless, improve productivity, and boost the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Tijani urged Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government to embrace the technology.
“Artificial intelligence has always been with us, however, our focus is that we want it to drive prosperity in Nigeria. The policy to drive its adoption and deployment will be crafted to the benefit of all,” he said
According to him, democratizing AI deployment will impact positively on the growth and development of the country.
Co-creation for AI adoption
Also speaking during the engagement, the Director-General of NITDA, Malam Kashifu Inuwa, said the gathering was aimed at consolidating the spirit of co-creation adopted by the government to ensure seamless adoption and deployment of AI.
- Inuwa said that since no country in the world wanted to be left behind in the adoption of AI, Nigeria needed to make the right decision on what it intends to do with it.
- According to him, the government is adopting a co-creation approach in order to bridge the gaps between the design and execution of AI policy.
- He added that the government would also socialise the design after co-creation so that all critical stakeholders would not have difficulties in execution.
“The common man needs artificial intelligence to improve his productivity, so, inclusivity is part of the strategy.
“Every Nigerian needs to be digitally visible, especially as the country is blessed with a vibrant youth population and talent. This will, significantly, improve our agriculture, health, education, and security,” he said.
The D-G further explained that critical issues of infrastructures and data should engage the attention of stakeholders, especially how to develop and harness them as the powerhouse of AI.
What you should know
The Communications Ministry recently released the country’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy document, which is currently being reviewed by MDAs, following which it would be adopted as a national policy to guide all government efforts in Al.
- The government has also formed the Al Collective which will collaborate on research, projects of interest, hackathons, and seminars to develop an inclusive approach to Nigeria’s AI initiatives.
- Aside from the AI Strategy, the Nigerian government recently launched its Large Language Model, which is expected to position the country as an AI leader in Africa.
- According to the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, the LLM will be trained in 5 low-resource languages and accented English to ensure stronger language representation in existing datasets for the development of Artificial Intelligence solutions.