The Academic and Grant Writing Enclave (AGE) has urged educational institutions, policymakers and organisations to prioritise the practical application of Artificial Intelligence (AI), stressing that training programmes must produce measurable improvements in workplace performance rather than focus solely on the award of certificates. The Programme Coordinator of AGE, Dr Wadzani Dauda Palnam, made the call during an ongoing international AI capacity building programme involving professionals from 271 institutions across 13 countries.
Palnam said the initiative was designed to equip participants with practical AI skills that could improve institutional performance, research, administration and service delivery. The programme, which commenced on November 7, 2026, has attracted more than 4,000 professionals and features six virtual training sessions, followed by institutional implementation projects. According to him, the objective is to ensure that participants translate the knowledge acquired into practical solutions to challenges confronting their respective organisations.
He explained that participants would be required to identify specific workplace challenges, deploy appropriate AI tools to address them and subsequently transfer the knowledge gained to between 30 and 50 colleagues within their institutions. Palnam described the approach as a train the trainer model designed to extend the benefits of AI capacity building beyond individual beneficiaries and encourage wider institutional adoption. He added that the implementation phase would enable the organisers to assess how effectively participating institutions had integrated AI into their operations and the improvements recorded in productivity and service delivery.
The programme features international experts, including Professor Yuko Harayama of the Global Partnership on AI Tokyo Expert Support Centre, Professor Catholijn M. Jonker of Delft University of Technology, Netherlands, and Professor Virginia Dignum, Director of the AI Policy Lab at Umeå University, Sweden. Also participating is Professor Charles Okechukwu Esimone, Chairman of the AGE Board of Studies and former Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University. Palnam called on governments, development agencies, technology companies and investors to support initiatives that promote practical AI adoption, noting that effective application of the technology could drive institutional efficiency, innovation and sustainable economic development.