MINISTER of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, has said that Nigeria will prioritise Artificial Intelligence (AI), saying that AI is no longer a future concept, but that it is already shaping how Nigerians learn, work, and create value.

Referencing new insights from the Google–Ipsos Global Perceptions of AI report, which showed Nigeria as a clear outlier among the most optimistic and engaged AI populations globally, with 95 per cent of Nigerians surveyed believing AI will benefit people like them, Tijani said the enthusiasm reflected a deeper truth: where ambition meets opportunity, innovation thrives.

According to him on his X handle, this growing public confidence validates the deliberate steps this Government has taken, through the ministry to prioritise AI as a driver of productivity, competitiveness, and inclusive growth — from the National AI Strategy, to investment in building a community of practice with the AI Collective, research programmes like the NAIRS, launching N-ATLAS – our government-backed multilingual Large Language Model and plans to ensure sustainability through the National AI Trust.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s SpaceX has filed an application to launch up to one million satellites into orbit to provide AI computing power.

This is according to a filing with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) submitted over the weekend.
The plan comes as demand for AI processing continues to outpace the capabilities of traditional ground-based data centres.

The application claims orbital data centres are the most energy-and cost-efficient solution to meet growing global demand for AI. Traditionally, AI computations are handled in terrestrial data centres—large facilities packed with powerful servers.

SpaceX argued that these on-ground centres were already struggling to keep pace with AI’s growth.
The company said the new solar-powered satellites would operate in low-Earth orbit, between 500 and 2,000km above the planet, and serve billions of users worldwide, much like Starlink.