The Nigerian government is set to launch a $1.5 million initiative to support the growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the country, according to Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy. This initiative, supported by global foundation Luminate, will be launched on October 7th in Abuja, marking another step in the government’s efforts to strengthen AI development.
This announcement comes weeks after the Ministry introduced a N100 million AI fund in collaboration with Google, which was criticized for being too small to drive significant progress. Addressing the criticism, Tijani emphasized that the government is pooling resources and securing additional support to drive AI innovation. The Minister also highlighted future projects, including a National AI Trust aimed at promoting ethical and sustainable AI development.
The Minister further emphasized the long-term impact of technology projects, such as the ongoing installation of 90,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables and the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MT) initiative, which is already creating jobs across Nigeria.
Credit: Nairametrics (Text Excluding Headline)
