0

Africa Must Fast-Track AI Adoption

Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, has urged African nations to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) as a key driver of productivity, competitiveness, and employment.

RELATED: GITEX Nigeria 2025 Roadshow: Uyo and Abuja pitch winners advance to Lagos finals

Speaking at the opening of GITEX Nigeria 2025 in Abuja, Tijani warned that Africa risks being left behind if it fails to accelerate AI adoption across key sectors. He noted that countries already leveraging AI in agriculture, finance, logistics, and education are seeing exponential gains, while African economies still rely on outdated practices.

Lessons from Brazil and South Africa

Tijani highlighted how AI-powered precision agriculture in Brazil and South Africa uses drones, soil sensors, and predictive analytics to cut input costs by up to 95%. In contrast, Nigerian farmers still average 2.5 tonnes of maize per hectare, compared to Brazil’s 10–12 tonnes.
He outlined four AI priorities for Africa:

  1. Balancing sovereignty with collaboration through national AI strategies and shared standards.

  2. Harnessing Africa’s youthful population via skills programs like the “3 Million Technical Talent” initiative.

  3. Digitising African realities by building local datasets in agriculture, health, and education.

  4. Investing in infrastructure such as affordable broadband and clean energy.

NITDA Calls for Shared AI Infrastructure

Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), urged African nations to collaborate in building shared AI infrastructure. This is to avoid being left behind in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
He warned that any country excluded from the AI revolution risks catastrophe, while leaders in adoption will shape the future.
Abdullahi outlined four AI priorities:

ADVERTISEMENT
  • Human Capital Development: Leveraging youth through Nigeria’s 3 Million Tech Talent and Digital Literacy for All.
  • Infrastructure Expansion: Building data centres, expanding connectivity, and processing African data locally.
  • Policy and Legal Frameworks: Developing national AI strategies to ensure sovereignty and global competitiveness.
  • Ecosystem Growth: Supporting startups, AI research, and partnerships with global technology companies.

Data Protection and Continental Sovereignty

Dr Vincent Olatunji, CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), stressed the importance of aligning regulatory frameworks across Africa to ensure data sovereignty. He highlighted the role of the African Union and the Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPA-RAPDP) in harmonising data protection regulations tailored to Africa’s realities.

Global Partnerships and GITEX’s Role

Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President of the, Dubai World Trade Centre/CEO, KAOUN International, reaffirmed DWTC’s commitment to Africa.  According to her, Nigeria must claim its seat at the global digital table. She described Nigeria as a nation defined not by its challenges but by the opportunities of tomorrow, with GITEX providing the platform to showcase innovation.

GITEX Nigeria 2025 is a three-day, two-city event, with government-focused engagements in Abuja and the Expo and business conferences in Lagos, connecting startups, SMEs, investors, and global innovators.

More in News

You may also like