The Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani has revealed the country has discovered 6,000 researchers in Artificial Intelligence (AI) worldwide.
The Minister who disclosed this at the Zenith Bank Tech Fair 2023 in Lagos, said that his ministry aims to position Nigeria as a global AI leader.
He highlighted their crucial role in implementing AI across sectors for economic growth and job creation.
Previously, in August, the Minister had called on Nigerians via Twitter to recommend AI researchers of Nigerian descent for the development of a National AI Strategy.
Using AI tools, the Ministry combed through global academic publications, successfully pinpointing these researchers and laying the foundation for Nigeria’s reimagined AI strategy.
The government is actively fostering a global AI workforce, supporting local AI job creation, and plans to empower 45 startups with N5 million each under its AI Research Scheme.
