The Lagos State Government and ICT experts have encouraged Nigerian youth to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools as a means to address societal challenges.
The event, themed “AI, Youth, and the Future of Work,” was held during the 2025 Commonwealth Day organised by the Tantacom Group and the Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC) at the University of Lagos, Akoka, on Friday and emphasises the transformative potential of AI in redefining productivity and creativity across industries.
“AI offers three key advantages that can reshape the future of work for youth,” Ogunlende says, emphasising its role in quick idea testing, refinement, and the creation of new job roles in fields like AI ethics and machine learning engineering.
Mr. Mobolaji Ogunlende, Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, highlights AI’s impact on work noting that it has not only transformed how tasks are completed, but also redefined the essence of productivity and creativity.
“AI offers three key advantages that can reshape the future of work for youth,” Ogunlende says, emphasising its role in quick idea testing, refinement, and the creation of new job roles in fields like AI ethics and machine learning engineering.
On his part, Mr. Idris Aregbe, Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tourism, Arts and Culture, emphasises the government’s readiness to support young people in AI. “Whatever you are seeing today or what AI is representing is for the future. It is not going to affect anything. All you just need to do is to be able to tap into it, and AI will bounce.”
Speaking at the event, Mrs. Olufunke Adu, Co-CEO of Tantacom Group, says that AI is not futuristic but a current reality that young people must leverage to remain competitive. “We want young people to learn to leverage artificial intelligence, knowing that it is the future of work.”
The launch of the Commonwealth AI Academy was also announced during the event. The free online platform offers self-paced courses in machine learning and AI, aiming to equip young people with the skills needed to thrive in the digital age.
Adu emphasises the importance of this initiative, underscoring that it provides a “golden opportunity” for youth to learn skills that will benefit them in the workplace.
Oluwatoyin Atanda, President of JCI Nigeria, adds that AI gives young people the opportunity to upscale themselves and become better individuals, creating an edge in the job market.
Home