FG launches four AI solutions for economic growth

The Minister of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, has announced the re-launch of the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR).

The Minister made the announcement at the end of a four-day National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Co-Creation Workshop in Abuja.

The four solutions include Nigeria’s first multilingual large language model, the Nigeria Computing Infrastructure Pilot, the Nigeria Artificial Intelligence Collective, and the first Rapporteur Artificial Intelligence, AI.

The solutions are to facilitate growing Nigeria’s economy and shaping the country’s global future.

Dr. Bosun Tijani, said Rapporteur AI is the first ever created in the world.

The Minister noted that the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy received $3.5 million in seed funding from interested parties.

” The AI Collective for Growth initiative, which is led by NITDA and managed by Lagos Business School, will receive funding from partners over the next three years”. The Minister stated.

According to him, the funding is being championed by both foreign and local partners, with $1.5 million in direct funding and an additional $2 million invested in the pilot program by 21st Century Technologies.

He, therefore, commended all the agencies under the Ministry, the AI Buds participants, Luminate, Google, Meta, Microsoft, UNESCO, and UNDP, as co-sponsors of the workshop.

Artificial intelligence research and development in the nation is a top priority, according to Dr. Faruk Yabo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy.

“We are building the groundwork for a future in which artificial intelligence permeates every facet of Nigerian life,” he declared.

Nigeria cannot afford to lose the AI tools that are currently accessible, according to Kashifu Abdullahi, Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, or NITDA. He noted that these tools are sufficient to meet the needs of the world.

Some of the development partners who were excited to attend the workshop pledged to make a significant contribution to the project’s success.

(FRCN)