.jpeg "By 2030, Nigeria wants to have 50,000 AI employment.")
Dr. Bosun Tijani, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and the Digital Economy, made this information public on Monday when he revealed the draft of the Strategic Blueprint that his Ministry would follow for the next four years.
Tijani made references to PwC Report, McKinsey Global Institute Analysis, and Accenture Report in the 31-page document titled: 'Accelerating Our Collective Prosperity Through Technical Efficiency,' which was obtained by The Guardian. In the document, Tijani said that AI will usher in a new era of technological and economic transformation over the next two decades.
He stated that because the nation is a developing economy, it is vital that it formulate a far-reaching national policy to harness the potential of artificial intelligence in a manner that is inclusive and responsible.
To that end, the minister stated that Nigeria is taking a novel approach in order to provide the necessary skills and points of view in order to develop a strategy with an eye toward the future.
It is anticipated that the execution of the strategy will, among other things, propel Nigeria into the top ten locations worldwide for the training and skill of artificial intelligence models. In addition to that, we will place Nigeria in a position to become a global leader in advancing inclusion in AI datasets, as he indicated.
According to Tijani, the goal is to attain a top 50 global rating in AI readiness and adoption across parameters (Computing Power, Skills, Data Availability, Ethics and Governance) by the year 2030. Currently, the ranking stands at 96.
The minister mentioned that the Ministry's strategic Blueprint is comprised of five essential pillars, which are Knowledge, Policy, Infrastructure, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Capital (IEC), and Trade respectively.
According to him, each pillar is essential to the accomplishment of the Ministry's goals and is interdependent with the other pillars to create the structure that underpins the strategy.
"Knowledge is the foundation upon which innovation can flourish, and it is built upon the bedrock of good public policy." While innovation and entrepreneurialism are the primary drivers of economic diversification, infrastructure is the necessary backbone upon which a flourishing digital economy must be built. The fifth pillar, trade, exemplifies our dedication to global collaboration and partnership, with the understanding that innovation is not constrained by geographical boundaries.
"As we set out on this path of profound change, we do so with an unyielding understanding of our ultimate destination. We are aware that the path that lies ahead may be difficult, but we believe that it is precisely through these difficulties that we will discover the motivation to develop and change. The minister has stated that together, "we will harness the power of technology to elevate Nigeria's standing on the global stage, create sustainable employment opportunities, and improve the quality of life for all Nigerians."
You may remember that back in August, the minister issued a call for applications from researchers of Nigerian heritage located anywhere in the world, asking for their assistance in developing the nation's National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy.
Tijani made the announcement on X (Twitter), and he asked Nigerians to pass over the contact information of any leading researchers they are aware of.
In the document he shared on X, titled "Co-creating a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy for Nigeria," Tijani said the government is building on existing work done by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to develop a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy. As a result, it is expanding its co-creation approach to engage and include top Artificial Intelligence researchers of Nigerian descent globally.
"In order to collaborate with us in the development of a National AI Strategy, we are in the process of compiling a list of the most accomplished researchers of Nigerian heritage working anywhere in the globe. This plan will assist in shaping our approach to the development of creative technological solutions to some of our most urgent issues as a nation.
Please let him know about any researchers, Nigerian or otherwise, that you are aware of who have conducted research on the Nigerian market and feel free to share their names in the comments section of this post.
The minister provided an explanation as to why a strategy for AI was necessary for Nigeria by stating that AI has evolved into a multi-purpose technology that is revolutionizing production and the delivery of services, and that it has the ability to greatly impact both economic growth and social advancement.
According to him, recent research showed that Al might contribute up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy by the year 2030, with $3 trillion coming from enhanced productivity and $9.1 trillion coming from new products and services (PwC, 2018). [Citation needed]