Nigeria is pinning its hopes on artificial intelligence as part of President Bola Tinubu’s ambition to turn Africa’s most populous nation into a $1trn economy, according to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Bosun Tijani.
His remarks follow his inclusion in TIME magazine’s 2025 list of the 100 most influential personalities in AI, alongside Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk and OpenAI head Sam Altman, recognised for shaping the future of the technology worldwide.
He described recent progress in AI as transformative, citing a national strategy, research programmes and deals with foreign technology firms.
“We got over 120 experts of Nigerian descent to co-create the long-term strategy for the responsible use and development of AI,” Tijani said on LinkedIn. “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 Nigeria’s $1trn economy target was announced and officially endorsed by the National Economic Council last week. Overall, Nigeria’s leadership shows clear intent and a roadmap toward realising this economic aspiration by 2030.
From the technology perspective, the government has been piloting AI applications in healthcare, agriculture, education and financial inclusion, areas it says will yield both social and economic returns. With support from partners including Google and the Gates Foundation, Nigeria is also helping scale mature AI solutions developed by local innovators by providing mentorship, resources and funding support.
To sustain the momentum, Tijani announced the creation of the AI Collective, a community of researchers and practitioners backed by philanthropic organisation Luminate, and the AI Trust, a body of national leaders tasked with steering long-term investments in the sector.
“Our commitment remains clear: to ensure AI not only drives innovation but also contributes to building a $1rn economy as envisioned by President Tinubu,” Tijani said.
Nigeria may lack extensive infrastructure, but the country is boosting its technical talent, which is the foundation for building a strong AI ecosystem with government participation and partnerships.
Tijani champions the 3 Million Technical Talent programme to equip Nigerians with AI and technical skills, and many graduates are deployed to digitise government operations and build datasets for AI systems.
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