Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, believes artificial intelligence (AI) holds the key to unlocking Nigeria’s potential as an economic powerhouse. Speaking at a fireside chat with Tomiwa Aladekomo, CEO of Big Cabal Media, Tijani clarified that ignoring AI would be a disservice to future generations.
“We would have failed our people and the future generation if we sleep on artificial intelligence,” he said during Moonshot by TechCabal, stressing that AI technologies will influence everything from how we think to how we work.
Despite some criticisms, particularly around Nigeria’s readiness for AI due to infrastructure challenges, Tijani is firm that waiting is not an option. “There’s absolutely no way you focus on weaker problems,” he said in response to concerns about electricity and education being more urgent priorities.
For Tijani, digitizing African data for large language models (LLMs) is a crucial business opportunity. AI tools need more context on Africa, and this, he believes, is a gap Nigeria is well-positioned to fill. “It’s a business opportunity that continents like Africa should be leading,” he emphasized.
Tijani’s vision for the ministry is anchored on five strategic pillars, the first of which is talent. His ambitious 3 Million Technical Talents (3MTT) programme aims to make Nigeria a global hub of digital expertise. “If technology is to truly help drive growth in Nigeria, the government must invest in talent very early,” Tijani said.
Infrastructure forms the second pillar of his plan. He outlined plans to expand Nigeria’s fibre backbone network by an additional 90,000km, bringing the total to 125,000km. Without proper connectivity, digital technologies cannot thrive, he said.
Tijani also stressed the importance of pro-innovation policies, marking this as the third pillar. “Our policies should be pro-innovation and not just be there for revenues,” he said.
Ultimately, Tijani told the attendees that he wants to be remembered as the minister who built platforms. His vision includes enhancing Nigeria’s backbone fibre network, introducing a GEO system, and transforming how the government adopts technology.
