The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in Nigeria Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has highlighted the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in tackling critical national challenges.
Speaking at the conclusion of the five-day workshop titled “The Workshop of the Future,” held in Jigawa State, Inuwa delivered a keynote address focused on harnessing AI to enhance productivity in agriculture, health, education, energy, and climate change.
The event, organized by Futuremap Foundation in partnership with NITDA, Jigawa ICT & Digital Economy, Cosmopolitan University, OpenSchool, and Huawei, placed design thinking at the heart of discussions. Stakeholders emphasized the need to adopt innovative approaches in leveraging digital transformation to address pressing issues across various sectors.
Inuwa also unveiled plans for a fellowship program aimed at nurturing young talent to develop digital solutions tailored to local needs. This initiative, he noted, seeks to reduce reliance on foreign expertise and empower indigenous innovators with the tools to solve Nigeria’s unique problems.
The fellowship program, according to Inuwa, aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritizes industrialisation, digitisation, and innovation as pathways to economic diversification. He stressed that such efforts are crucial to building a sustainable digital economy and fostering self-reliance in technology-driven development.
The workshop drew participation from experts and stakeholders across diverse fields, all united in the call for collaborative efforts to position Nigeria as a leader in AI and digital transformation. Participants lauded the initiative as a bold step toward ensuring the country remains competitive in an increasingly digital world.