The Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Meta, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), and local developers have partnered with Publica AI to unveil GovGuide Nigeria.
The AI-powered chatbot is designed to improve Nigerians’ access to government services.
At the inauguration in Abuja on Thursday, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, commended the initiative.
Tijani said the project reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to leveraging AI for better public service delivery.
He explained that deploying AI tools in local languages on platforms already familiar to citizens would enhance accessibility, transparency, and citizen engagement.
“The GovGuide initiative reflects our commitment to leveraging artificial intelligence to make government services and information more accessible and responsive to the needs of Nigerians.
By deploying AI-powered tools in local languages and on platforms people already use daily, we are improving access to public services while strengthening transparency, trust, and citizen engagement.
As Nigeria continues to grow its digital economy, partnerships like this demonstrate how innovation can improve productivity, unlock opportunities, and bring government closer to the people.”
The chatbot, developed by Publica AI, allows Nigerians to access information on government services through seamless voice and text interactions.
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Head of Public Policy at Meta, Sade Dada, described open-source AI as critical to economic growth and productivity. She noted that GovGuide Nigeria demonstrates how open-source AI can support local innovation and improve access to public information.
“Built by Publica AI on our open-source models, GovGuide Nigeria is a voice and text AI assistant in English, Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba. It gives every Nigerian, including rural and low-literacy users, easier access to information on government services.”
Dada added that the project shows how open-source AI can enable homegrown innovation, support local talent, and provide practical solutions for citizens.
Earlier, Publica AI CEO Ignatius Willie said the inauguration represents a major step toward democratising citizens’ engagement with government.
According to him, GovGuide Nigeria is designed to make government services conversational, multilingual, and accessible through channels already widely used by Nigerians. The platform was built in partnership with the Communications Ministry and NCAIR, powered by Meta’s open-source models, and shaped by hundreds of Nigerian language contributors.
“GovGuide Nigeria is proof that the next generation of public infrastructure for Africa can, and should be, built in Africa, in our own languages,” Willie said.
