By Ijeoma Olorunfemi
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), EU have collaborated the Federal Government to presented the Nigeria Artificial Intelligence (AI) Readiness Assessment Report.
The report, which was presented in Abuja on Tuesday, was aimed at strengthening the country’s ethical AI use.
Mr Dimitri Sanga, UNESCO, Officer-In-Charge (OIC), Abuja, said the world was experiencing the transformative impact of AI, across all spheres of life, making the need for effective safeguards more imperative.
Sanga was represented by the Head of Finance and Administration, Fatu Comfort.
“For the first time, humanity is said to have created a tool that could challenge its existence if not effectively checked.
“AI is now interwoven into modern life, transforming how we manage institutions, learn, create value, solve problems, communicate, govern ourselves, provide security, maintain democracy and express ourselves,” he said.
Sanga recalled that UNESCO’s 193 member states unanimously adopted the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in November 2021.
He described it as the first global framework for ensuring that AI technologies were developed and deployed in a human-centric, rights-based and sustainable manner.
He said the recommendation sought to promote fairness, protect human rights and prevent biases and harm in AI systems.
He described the report as a diagnostic tool that highlighted Nigeria’s progress in building an ethical AI ecosystem and strengthening the design and deployment of AI and other frontier technologies.
Sanga said UNESCO had commenced the capacity-building component of the initiative and had trained more than 400 civil servants across six states using the AI Literacy Training Module with support from the European Union.
Dr Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, described the report as an honest assessment of Nigeria’s progress, existing challenges and priorities for AI development.
Represented by Dr Bimini Ajala, National Director of the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR),Tijani said AI presented Nigeria with an opportunity to accelerate development, improve public services and enhance competitiveness.
“AI is affecting productivity across virtually every sector of the economy.
“For Nigeria, the implications are profound because we are seeking to accelerate economic growth, improve public service delivery, create jobs, and expand access to opportunity and enhance national competitiveness.
“AI presents us an unprecedented opportunity to leapfrog traditional constraints and unlock new possibilities,” he said.
He further said countries that stood to benefit most from AI were those investing in infrastructure, talent, institutions and governance needed to support innovation and adoption.
He said the government had prioritised digital infrastructure through Project BRIDGE, the planned 90,000-kilometre open-access fibre network, and the Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme.
Tijani said Nigeria had also developed one of Africa’s most comprehensive National AI Strategy through a collaborative process involving researchers, entrepreneurs and policymakers.
He said that such measures had improved the country’s ranking on the Global Government AI Readiness Index from 141st to 72nd position within three years.
The minister said that AI readiness required inclusion, access, governance and public trust, adding that innovation and ethics should go hand in hand to ensure sustainable development.
Ms Ikram Tolba, Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS, said Nigeria’s AI readiness score of 47.9 and ICT regulatory maturity ranking of 92, indicated strong potential, with infrastructure and access to capital remaining major challenges.
Tolba said the EU would deepen collaboration with Nigeria through regulatory partnerships, research cooperation and access to Europe’s high-performance computing infrastructure, while also supporting investments under the Global Gateway initiative.
Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, said the report represented a significant milestone in Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.
Represented by Ms Joy Baderin, Overseeing Director, Office of the Permanent Secretary, Jack added that it highlighted the deployment of the Service-Wide GPT platform to support knowledge management and administrative functions across the federal civil service.
She said that AI-powered platform had improved productivity, institutional memory and access to information.
She also urged stakeholders to translate the report’s recommendations into practical policies and programmes that promote innovation, accountability and social inclusion.
Dr Vincent Olatunji, National Commissioner of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), said AI readiness could not be separated from data governance, privacy and cybersecurity.
Represented by Ms Adaobi Nwankwo,Head of Innovation at the commission, Olatunji said the assessment aligned with the commission’s strategic roadmap and would strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to adopt AI responsibly while protecting the rights of data subjects.(NAN)http://www.nannews.ng