Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE), has said that Nigeria has revamped the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy to focus on AI and other emerging technologies.
This builds on the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), established in November 2020.
NCAIR was established under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari and was spearheaded by the former Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, who tagged it as “the first of its kind in Africa.”
The new strategy was unveiled at the just concluded National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (NAIS) workshop, held April 15-18, 2024.
This revamped strategy is backed by Computer Information System Company (CISCO) and it prioritises research and development on emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), Internet of Things (IoT).
This strategy emphasises practical application to address real-world challenges in areas of Nigerian national interest, which the Ministry said aligns with its mandate as a digital innovation and research facility.
Additionally, the Ministry highlighted 6 new initiatives to empower local startups and improve application of AI in government, thereby strengthening the capacity of NCAIR, they include:
- 1. Having access to over 2500 virtual CPUs for use by the Nigeria AI Collective.
2. Connection to 1 petabyte of storage at Galaxy Backbone.
3. Management of the new computing infrastructure for projects of national interest and academic research.
4. A dedicated lab at NCAIR for State and enterprise AI research projects.
5. NCAIR will allow AI hubs and pods across the country connect remotely to the new computing infrastructure.
6. NCAIR will now report and academically publish on all projects carried out at the institution.
The improved capacity of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics in Nigeria will help to accelerate the diversification of the Nigerian economy by enhancing productivity in critical sectors, according to the Ministry.
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