Plans Al for Social Good Summit in Abuja
The Artificial Intelligence 4 Social Impact & Development (AI4SID) has expressed its commitment to advancing the development and adoption of AI solutions in the social impact and third sector economy for sustainable development.

AI4SID, which is an initiative of the Africa Hub for Innovation and Development, stated that through a collaborative hub-and-network model, it brings together innovator communities and stakeholders in the social enterprise/non-governmental (NGO) ecosystem to develop ethical AI applications in the areas of healthcare, education, agriculture, and public services.

To this end, the AI4SID has announced plans to host the AI for Social Good Summit in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as part of efforts to equip organisations and individuals to harness AI for impact.

Chief Visionary (Influence & Strategy) at AI4SID, Dr Adekunle Kakanfo, who disclosed this during the AI4SID Virtual Workshop on the theme: “Artificial Intelligence for Social Good: Pilots, Partnerships, Policies & the People,” emphasised that the future of Artificial Intelligence must not be measured only by technological milestones but by the social impact it creates.

Kakanfo observed that with the summit and related programmes, AI4SID is demonstrating how AI can drive equity, innovation, and sustainable development across Africa and beyond.

He noted that the one-day global convening billed for May 2026 will bring together thought leaders, policymakers, innovators and development practitioners to shape the global discourse on responsible, inclusive, and people-centred Artificial Intelligence.

Kakanfo stated that a two-day physical training session, which will also be held in Abuja in January 2026, will focus on Al for Social and Strategic Impact, designed to strengthen NGO operations and improve efficiency.

He noted that the AI for Social Good Summit will serve as a platform for sharing ideas, showcasing innovations, and building partnerships to ensure AI delivers tangible social impact.

In his remarks, the Acting Director of Regulation and Compliance and Head of Legal Services at the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Barr Emmanuel Edet, is to inaugurate the Council for Digital Entrepreneurship, adding that the council, which will be managed by the Sovereign Wealth Agency, will provide access to the funds for innovative startups in the country.

He said: “The truth about it is that a lot of the ideas that people have come up with have actually been a copy of what they have seen done somewhere else and taken out of context. That has been the majority of our experience in terms of this incubation. And when you’re doing your evaluation to determine what solution may work and what may move to the next stage of incubation, you will realise that some of those solutions are not designed in a manner that can be commercialised.”

Speaking on how the country, begin to lead effective AI pilots in small doses that are realistic within our current infrastructure and ensure that we can scale sustainably without losing the local relevance, the Founder of Data Science Nigeria, Dr Bayo Adekanbi, said, “We need to realise first and foremost is that piloting, not becoming a major product is not a failure. One of the biggest problems I have seen is that everybody believes that every idea I have is good enough to scale. We don’t need to put ourselves under undue pressure that every pilot must become a product.”