Google, through its charitable arm Google.org, has pledged N3 billion to support Nigeria’s digital transformation, with a focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) training and improving online safety.

The announcement was made at a press conference in Lagos on Friday.

The initiative will channel resources through five local organisations: FATE Foundation, the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, the African Technology Forum, Junior Achievement Africa, and the CyberSafe Foundation.

One aspect of the programme aims to develop advanced AI skills among students and lecturers, while the other seeks to enhance cybersecurity measures across public institutions.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, said: “Artificial Intelligence sits at the heart of Nigeria’s desire to raise the level of productivity in our economy as well as our ambition to compete globally in technology and innovation. I welcome this important and timely investment from Google and Google.org.”

Adenike Adeyemi, Executive Director of FATE Foundation, explained that the initiative would integrate advanced AI curricula into universities and foster innovation challenges for developers, responding to the urgent need for deep AI competencies in Africa.

On digital safety, Junior Achievement Africa will expand its Be Internet Awesome programme for youth, while the CyberSafe Foundation will work to strengthen cybersecurity in public institutions.

Olumide Balogun, Google’s Director for West Africa, said: “This is an investment in people, aimed at empowering them with advanced AI skills and ensuring a safe digital space to operate. We are honoured to continue our collaboration in support of the ministry’s efforts.”

The pledge builds on Google’s prior commitments to Nigeria, including the Equiano subsea cable and the 2023 Skills Sprint programme, which trained over 20,000 participants and facilitated employment opportunities in the tech sector.

Recall that in October 2024, the tech giant, through its philanthropic arm Google.org, announced a similar grant, worth N2.8 billion, to support Nigeria’s artificial intelligence (AI) development, providing funding for training programmes and a start-up fund.

At the time, the grant was expected to support three major initiatives aimed at building AI competency. The DeepTech Ready Upskilling Programme will train 20,000 young Nigerians in data science and AI. The Experience AI Programme, developed in collaboration with the Raspberry Pi Foundation, will train 25,000 educators to introduce AI concepts to 125,000 learners. The Government AI Campus Programme will provide AI policy training for public servants.

In addition, an AI Fund established with the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) will provide 10 Nigerian start-ups with N100 million each, along with Google Cloud Credits, mentorship, and technical support. The selected start-ups are focusing on sectors including healthcare, energy, and security.