Nigeria to launch another $1.5 million AI support fund

To boost Nigeria’s emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, has said that the government is about to launch another $1.5 million initiative.

The Minister disclosed this yesterday in a television interview on the outcome of his participation at the just concluded United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Tijani explained that the fund to be launched on October 7th in Abuja is support from Luminate, a global foundation working to ensure that everyone has the information, rights, and power to influence the decisions that affect their lives.

Recall that some weeks back, the ComTech ministry launched a N100 million AI Fund in collaboration with Google, which, however, suffered heavy criticism from the tech community on the basis that the sum was too small to propel the AI revolution in Nigeria.

While noting that the criticism of the N100 million AI fund earlier launched was due to a misunderstanding, Tijani said people focused on the surface number without recognizing the additional support and broader efforts the government was undertaking to secure more resources.

“Our strategy with AI isn’t to limit it to local resources—we are pooling resources together. On the 7th of October in Abuja, we are launching an additional $1.5 million in support from Luminate,” he declared.

Tijani added that another initiative the ministry is working on is the National Artificial Intelligence Trust, in collaboration with AI Collaborative, which will focus on using local languages in AI development.

“The Trust will be a body that ensures AI development in Nigeria is ethical, safe, and sustainable, working alongside the government to drive growth.

“As we build our large language models and digitise our data, we’ll be able to monetize these efforts, with proceeds going back into the Trust to support further AI development,” he said.

Speaking on tackling grassroots challenges with technology, especially creating a balance between high-level tech initiatives, Tijani acknowledged that large-scale projects may not receive immediate praise or be easily understood by all.

However, he emphasised the long-term benefits of these initiatives, particularly in areas such as infrastructure development.

“Technology’s role in society is to enable progress, and that doesn’t happen overnight,” he said, highlighting the government’s ongoing project to lay 90,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables across Nigeria.

According to Tijani, while the project will take 18 months to secure the $2 billion funding and another two to three years for full installation, it remains crucial for the country’s future.

“I don’t expect immediate applause, because it will take time. But I can’t ignore such a project just because there’s poverty; in the short to medium term, projects like this will alleviate many issues,” he said.

Tijani also noted that the government’s 3 million Technical Talent (3MT) initiative is already delivering tangible benefits, providing job opportunities for many Nigerians, especially those trained under its programmes.

He added that the government’s 774 Project aimed to connect local government secretariats to improve grassroots-level service delivery.