Nigeria’s AI community is betting on homegrown talent to enable the country compete in the global AI race, AI in Nigeria, conveners of the InnovateAI Lagos 2025 conference set for this Friday have said.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Technology Times on Monday, conveners of the InnovateAI Lagos 2025, Mr Dotun Adeoye and Mr Ehia Erhaboh, who are also co-founders of AI in Nigeria, organisers of InnovateAI Lagos 2025 conference, reckon that Nigeria’s talent can drive the AI revolution.
According to Erhaboh, among the three pillars of AI – data, compute and talent – Nigeria’s key strength is in its talent, and the country would need to develop its talent to scale and compete globally.
“We don’t want Nigeria to be a use case market where you deploy AI use case,” Erhabor says adding that, “for us to be able to make real impact, we need to look at what will make AI to be successful across the three pillars: Data, compute, talent. Where exactly can we play? Where can we play a leading role so that we are not just consumers of the technology, that we are clearly on the pathway to be leaders from that perspective?”
Mr Ehia Erhaboh, co-founder, AI in Nigeria.
AI in Nigeria: There’s need to refocus data, compute and talent
“So in the data and compute segment, we’re going to be looking into this,” Adeoye adds.
“I think the governance of how this fourth industrial revolution advances,” Adeoye adds, “and is adapted for Nigeria is very important. Also, there is a need for guidance in understanding that this is not just something like crypto or blockchain.”
“This is an industrial revolution that will affect everyone’s life, just like electricity. When there is darkness and you switch it on, it lights up the room. We need to understand this impact on Nigerians. We are working with policymakers to prepare for what is coming. We need to have a national AI strategy and data protection regulations, but we must also have the capacity to localize and contextualize how we govern this,” he adds.
The conference, themed “Scaling AI Adoption in Nigeria: Catalyzing Cross-Sector Innovation and Fostering Inclusive Growth,” comes as Nigeria seeks to turn its status as a use-case market into that of a global talent hub. While private-sector players in finance and telecom are already reaping benefits, both founders noted that public-sector engagement is essential to ensure that AI deployment is responsible and inclusive.
“We hold the view that if Nigeria will make any significant progress and any impact on the continent from the perspective of AI, we cannot just be a use case market alone,” Erhaboh says. “And what’s a use case market? Where people come and dump use cases on you, so you are basically a consumer and not really making too much impact.
“This is an industrial revolution that will affect everyone’s life, just like electricity. When there is darkness and you switch it on, it lights up the room. We need to understand this impact on Nigerians. We are working with policymakers to prepare for what is coming. We need to have a national AI strategy and data protection regulations, but we must also have the capacity to localize and contextualize how we govern this,” he adds.
Mr Dotun Adeoye, co-founder of AI in Nigeria.
“We don’t want Nigeria to be a use case market where you deploy AI use case,” Erhabor says adding that, “for us to be able to make real impact, we need to look at what will make AI to be successful across the three pillars: Data, compute, talent. Where exactly can we play? Where can we play a leading role so that we are not just consumers of the technology, that we are clearly on the pathway to be leaders from that perspective?”
InnovateAI Lagos 2025 is scheduled for February 21 at the Landmark Event Centre. Under the theme “Scaling AI Adoption in Nigeria: Catalysing Cross-Sectoral Innovation and Fostering Inclusive Growth,” its organisers say the conference will bring together local and international experts to discuss practical approaches for developing and governing AI in Nigeria.
The event builds on last year’s success, which attracted over 4,000 participants, and now aims to exceed 6,000 attendees both on-site and via 12 community hubs nationwide, according to AI in Nigeria.
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