National AI Collaboration Will Bring Economic Development— Researchers

Scholars in the Computer Science field say the call for a co-creation of a National AI by researchers of Nigerian descent will lead to economic development.

In a report, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani called on top researchers of Nigerian descent from all over the world to join in co-creating a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.

Tijani said Nigeria needed to develop a national strategy to harness the power of AI for sustainable development.

In a document titled, ‘Co-creating a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy for Nigeria,’ which he shared on his X handle disclosed that Al had become a multi-purpose technology transforming production and service delivery, with the potential to significantly impact economic growth and social progress.

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Speaking on the development, Olumide Obe of the Computer Science Department, School of Computing, Federal University of Technology, Akure, said that the crossbreeding between researchers and industry would lead to all-round development.

He said the National Information Technology Development Agency has an arm that is into AI and robotics, but all researchers in the field of ICT should come together and create the national AI strategy.

He complained about the isolation style of operation which he said was common to Nigerian professionals.

A Professor of Computer Science and Director of ICT, Lagos State University, Ojo, Oluwatoyin Enikuomehin said AI would only work on concepts and entities that already existed, adding that the Nigerian Researchers were the ones who understood the localisation of these new IT technologies to the immediate environment.

He said AI must be accepted as this is what will define where we will be as academics in a globalised society.

He added that the level of success from AI intervention would depend on the level of investment the FG was ready to make available for AI research, training, and deployment.

Recall the world is now leveraging on the successes of Internet of Things, a concept that has made leaving smarter and now we are looking at what AI will bring.