By Sodiq Opeyemi Adelakun, franktalknow.com
NIGERIA IS turning to artificial intelligence as a cornerstone of President Bola Tinubu’s plan to transform the country into a $1tn economy by 2030.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, said the government’s approach blends national strategy, research partnerships and homegrown innovation to accelerate progress.
Tijani’s profile in the sector was further boosted after he was listed by TIME magazine among the 100 most influential personalities in AI for 2025, alongside Tesla chief executive Elon Musk and OpenAI head Sam Altman.
He described recent advances in the field as transformative, noting, “We got over 120 experts of Nigerian descent to co-create the long-term strategy for the responsible use and development of AI.
This recognition further validates our belief that Nigeria can stand as a global leader in the responsible and inclusive deployment of AI for increased productivity.”
The framework for achieving the $1tn economy target, endorsed last week by the National Economic Council, outlines a roadmap where technology is positioned as a central driver.
Pilot programmes are already under way in healthcare, agriculture, education and financial inclusion, with support from partners such as Google and the Gates Foundation. These initiatives are designed to generate both social and economic returns while helping scale solutions created by Nigerian innovators.
To sustain momentum, the government has launched the AI Collective, a research community supported by philanthropic organisation Luminate, and the AI Trust, a body of national leaders to direct investment in the sector. Tijani stressed, “Our commitment remains clear: to ensure AI not only drives innovation but also contributes to building a $1tn economy as envisioned by President Tinubu.”
Despite Nigeria’s infrastructure constraints, the administration is betting on human capital, anchored by the 3 Million Technical Talent programme which equips young Nigerians with AI and digital skills.
Many graduates are already digitising government services and developing datasets for machine learning systems, reflecting the government’s push to strengthen the country’s knowledge economy.
