Nigeria is charting a new course in artificial intelligence (AI) development by co-creating its national AI governance framework with innovators, startups, and industry experts. The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) says the collaborative approach aims to ensure responsible, inclusive, and sustainable growth of AI across the country. NITDA’s Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, revealed this during a plenary session on “Technology, Migration & Trade Representation” at the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance Stakeholders’ Engagement held at the State House in Abuja.
According to Inuwa, Nigeria’s AI strategy aligns closely with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritizes digital innovation and inclusivity as engines of economic transformation. He said the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy’s roadmap mirrors this vision, guiding NITDA’s mission to transform Nigeria into Africa’s leading digital powerhouse. The National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, he added, provides a framework for building sovereign cloud infrastructure, expanding connectivity, and creating national datasets that reflect Nigeria’s people, languages, and culture.
Highlighting Nigeria’s growing leadership in the AI space, Inuwa pointed to the recent launch of the Nigerian Atlas for Languages and AI at Scale (N-ATLAS) in New York — a multilingual, multimodal large language model (LLM) developed with Awarri Technologies. The open-source model is designed to digitize and preserve Nigeria’s more than 500 local languages while supporting AI-driven solutions across education, health, agriculture, and governance. The N-ATLAS project is also open to other African nations, reinforcing Africa’s digital sovereignty in the global AI ecosystem.
Inuwa emphasized that inclusivity remains a cornerstone of Nigeria’s digital transformation. He said all NITDA-led innovation initiatives mandate at least 40% women’s participation to promote gender equality in the tech space. Through the Nigerian Startup Act, the government is also fostering an enabling environment for young entrepreneurs and innovators to build transformative solutions. “We cannot build the future in silos. We are working hand in hand with innovators, industry leaders, and the global community to create policies that safeguard innovation while protecting citizens,” he said.
Looking ahead, Inuwa said Nigeria is integrating AI across critical sectors, from healthcare and agriculture to manufacturing and education, to improve productivity and service delivery. He explained that AI will augment human capacity rather than replace it, helping professionals work smarter and faster. “With AI, our doctors can diagnose faster, our farmers can predict yields better, and our manufacturers can eliminate inefficiencies. That’s the kind of leap Nigeria is preparing for,” he added. Inuwa concluded that Nigeria’s people-centered approach to AI will not only protect citizens but also position the country as a continental leader in shaping the digital future.
source: Nairametrics