The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), on Wednesday, has selected seven civil society organisations (CSOs) to receive Artificial Intelligence (AI) advocacy grants under the Nigeria AI Collective, as part of efforts to strengthen responsible.

The beneficiaries are TechHer, Cedar Foundation for Disability, Akin Fadeyi Foundation, Nest Africa AI Innovation Lab, Webfala Digital Skill for All Initiative, African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), and Dataphyte Foundation.

In a statement, CJID Executive Director, Akintunde Babatunde, said the grants represent the next phase of the AI Collective Community of Practice, a multi-stakeholder initiative with more than 600 members working to improve AI literacy, foster collaboration, support innovation and promote responsible AI governance across Nigeria.

According to him, each of the selected organisations will, over the coming weeks, implement advocacy projects tailored to their institutional expertise, target communities and priority areas within Nigeria’s emerging AI ecosystem.

He explained that the Community of Practice brings together civil society organisations, media and journalism professionals, researchers, academics, technology experts, developers, students and emerging professionals into dedicated tracks that promote sector-specific learning, collaborative engagement, research, advocacy and cross-sector knowledge exchange.

He noted that the new grants build directly on an earlier phase of group-based CSO advocacy engagement, during which participating civil society organisations worked collectively to develop and implement joint advocacy initiatives around shared AI priorities.

He said: “The group-based projects created opportunities for participating organisations to combine their expertise, engage diverse communities, and translate the knowledge gained through the Community of Practice into coordinated advocacy action.

“This organisation-based phase therefore extends this work by enabling selected organisations to independently develop and implement advocacy projects that respond to the needs of their own areas of focus.

“While the earlier engagement emphasised collective action, the current phase provides organisations with the resources and flexibility to pursue focused interventions while remaining connected to the wider Community of Practice.

“The projects are expected to contribute to public understanding of AI, responsible technology adoption, digital inclusion, citizen engagement, information integrity, policy awareness, and greater accountability in the development and deployment of AI systems.”

He said that participating organisations would document lessons from implementation and share their experiences with other members of the Community of Practice to encourage learning and replication.

Babatunde described artificial intelligence as one of the most significant public-interest issues of the present era, stressing that responsible AI governance requires collaboration beyond the technology sector.

Babatunde added, “We see artificial intelligence as one of the defining public-interest issues of our time. Building an inclusive AI ecosystem requires more than technological innovation; it requires informed citizens, capable civil society organisations, evidence-based policy engagement, and sustained collaboration across sectors.

“Through the Nigeria AI Collective, we are investing in organisations that can translate these principles into practical action within their communities, helping ensure that AI development in Nigeria is innovative, accountable, and serves the public interest.”

Meaningful AI governance requires civil society organisations to move beyond participation in conversations and become key contributors to public education, accountability, and policy development.

“Artificial intelligence is reshaping public life, but the direction of that transformation should not be determined by technology companies and governments alone. Civil society organisations have an important role to play in helping communities understand these technologies, identifying their implications, and ensuring that AI systems serve the public interest.

“Through the Community of Practice, we have supported organisations to learn together and undertake collective advocacy. This next phase enables them to build on that experience by designing interventions that reflect their own expertise and the needs of the communities they serve.” he said.

The AI Collective Community of Practice is a multi-stakeholder initiative designed to strengthen AI literacy, collaboration, research, innovation, and responsible AI engagement in Nigeria.

The Community is organised into sector-specific tracks, including civil society organisations, media and journalism professionals, researchers and academics, technology professionals and developers, and students and emerging professionals.