- Safiu Kehinde
President Bola Tinubu has expressed intent to engaging in partnership with tech giant, Google in an effort to establish Nigeria as a significant player in the global digital economy.
Tinubu expressed Nigeria’s preparedness for the partnership, noting that the country already boasts of some bright prospects in the Artifical Intelligence Space.
The President disclosed this in a post on his official X handle following his meeting with Google and Alphabet Chief Executive Officer, Sundar Pichai, in Paris, France.
According to Tinubu, the partnership aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda, which emphasises economic diversification through industrialisation, digitisation, and innovation.
“I enjoyed engaging in crucial discussions about advancing Nigeria’s role in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital innovation with you in Paris, Sundar.
“We are also exploring partnership opportunities with Google, which will focus on five key areas: enhancing scalable cloud infrastructure, equipping our workforce with essential skills for the future, promoting AI innovation and research, driving cloud adoption, and elevating Nigeria’s standing in the global tech landscape as a hub for innovation and AI transition.
“It is worth noting that Nigeria already has some bright prospects in the AI space, including the likes of Awarri Technologies with whom the Federal Government is currently collaborating to build critical AI software infrastructure to meet the needs of the local market unique to our arts and culture, languages, and society, amongst others, which have mostly been put on the backburner by current existing models.
“This includes data capture platforms and an LLM for Nigerian languages in partnership with our National Centre for AI and Robitics.
“This partnership conversation with Google aligns seamlessly with our Renewed Hope Agenda, which emphasises economic diversification through industrialisation, digitisation, and innovation. This will empower businesses, create new opportunities, and establish Nigeria as a significant player in the global digital economy.
“The Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy will provide strategic oversight, while NITDA will spearhead the implementation.
“Nigeria is poised to take the lead in AI and technology—this is merely the start of an exciting journey!” Tinubu wrote.