Telecom
6 AI Hacks Helping Nigerian Gen Zs Hustle Smarter, Live Better, and Stay Ahead
Nigerian Gen Zs are finding new ways to win — turning their creativity, hustle, and lifestyle into opportunities to stand out and stay ahead. Whether they’re building their social media presence, perfecting their side gigs, or just making everyday tasks easier, AI tools are becoming a go-to life hack for this fast-moving generation.
The surge in AI adoption is vividly reflected in search trends. In 2024, searches for “AI” in Nigeria reached an all-time high, increasing by a remarkable 130% compared to the previous year. This heightened interest is further underscored by specific queries: “what is AI” saw a rise of over 30%, while “how to use AI” increased by 40%, indicating a strong drive to understand and utilize this technology. Notably, Nigerian Gen Zs are leveraging AI to enhance their professional and creative pursuits, with trending searches including “create a logo with AI,” “create a CV with AI,” and “design a website with AI.” This demonstrates a clear ambition to harness AI for tangible career and creative outcomes.
As one of Africa’s largest and most influential demographics, Nigerian Gen Zs are shaping online culture and redefining success in the digital age. According to Google’s “Our Life with AI” report, 70% of Nigerians have already used generative AI in the past year—significantly above the global average. Moreover, studies project that AI could contribute as much as $15 billion to Nigeria’s economy by 2030, highlighting its growing potential to revolutionize careers, businesses, and daily life.
Here are six powerful AI hacks that are helping Nigerian Gen Zs unlock opportunities, boost creativity, and simplify their everyday lives:
Get Inspired, Plan Big Ideas, and Find Your Creative Spark
Whether you’re brainstorming a new fashion collection, writing song lyrics, or mapping out a podcast series, AI tools like Gemini are becoming powerful creativity boosters. Gemini doesn’t just generate ideas — it can refine them, offer new angles, and help creatives think bigger. With the recent release of Gemini 2.0 Flash, now available to all Gemini app users on desktop and mobile, everyone can discover new ways to create, interact, and collaborate. For instance, if you’re an aspiring designer, you could ask Gemini for color palette ideas based on Nigerian street style or find storytelling tips for promoting your collection. If you’re planning a trip, Gemini can help you create a detailed itinerary with food, culture, and adventure tips customized for your interests. It’s like having a creative partner that sparks fresh ideas and helps you bring them to life. Leveraging the updated Gemini 2.0 Flash, you can experience enhanced creative collaboration and explore even more innovative possibilities.Structure Your Thoughts and Stay Organized with Smarter Notes
For busy Gen Zs juggling studies, side hustles, and content creation, organizing ideas can be tricky. Tools like NotebookLM simplify this by helping users create clear, structured notes and summaries. A new Audio Overviews feature takes this even further — summarizing your notes into podcast-style recaps that let you listen to key points on the go. Whether you’re a content creator brainstorming viral video ideas or a student revising for exams, this feature allows you to review key insights in minutes rather than re-reading pages of notes.Find Lost Photos, Receipts, and Memories — Instantly
Ever struggled to find that screenshot of your Jumia receipt or that perfect picture of your last birthday party? With Ask Photos, powered by Gemini, you can now search your photo library with natural language prompts. Instead of scrolling endlessly, just type: “Show me my concert photos from December” or “Find my shoe receipt from March.”The tool retrieves your images instantly — perfect for tracking expenses, remembering special moments, or saving time when you’re in a rush.Turn the Web Into Your Personal Research Assistant
Forget endless clicking between tabs — AI Overviews now brings key insights directly to the top of your search results. Whether you’re researching the best skincare routine, trying to understand investment basics, or learning how to create a business pitch, AI Overviews simplifies complex information into clear, actionable summaries. For Gen Zs managing side hustles, this is a game-changer — imagine typing “How to write a winning business proposal” and getting key points, sample structures, and helpful tips without digging through multiple pages.Learn New Skills or Fix Everyday Problems with Real-Time Guidance
From nailing a flawless makeup look to fixing a broken charging cable or practicing for a job interview, Gemini Live is fast becoming a trusted guide for Gen Zs in Nigeria. Offering real-time conversational support, Gemini Live walks you through step-by-step instructions tailored to your needs. For example, if you’re struggling with a new hairstyle, Gemini Live can provide visual guidance and easy-to-follow instructions. Trying to practice public speaking? Gemini Live can even simulate mock interviews or offer feedback on your pitch — helping you build skills without paying for expensive tutors or classes.Solve Everyday Problems with Visual Search
For Gen Zs who love exploring fashion, food, or tech, Google Lens is changing the way they discover new ideas. Snap a photo of a trendy outfit, a cool sneaker design, or even a Nigerian dish you’ve never seen before — and Lens will identify it, offer styling ideas, or suggest recipes you can try at home. Trying to repair your tech? Lens can also recognize product labels, provide troubleshooting steps, or recommend where to buy spare parts. It’s an all-in-one tool that makes discovering new ideas and solving everyday problems effortless.
Why This Matters for Gen Zs in Nigeria
AI adoption is booming in Nigeria — and Gen Zs are leading the charge. As a generation known for its adaptability and creativity, they’re proving that AI isn’t just about big tech — it’s a powerful tool for anyone with ideas, ambition, or a desire to simplify their daily grind.
With AI poised to contribute up to $15 billion to Nigeria’s economy by 2030, embracing these tools could give Nigerian Gen Zs a serious advantage — whether they’re chasing their dreams, building side hustles, or shaping the next wave of cultural trends.
“From building content ideas to finding better deals, Nigerian Gen Zs are proving that AI isn’t just a trend — it’s fast becoming an everyday life hack,” said Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Communications & Public Affairs Manager, West Africa at Google. “By embracing these tools, they’re unlocking smarter ways to hustle, live better, and stay ahead.”
As Africa continues to face internet disruptions, telecom leaders have urged governments and regulators to embrace and implement a Model Framework for Building Regional Internet Resilience.
The African Telecommunications Union (ATU), Internet Society, and African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC) have all endorsed the framework.
The framework organises Africa’s internet resilience challenge around three interdependent focus areas: networks and internet service providers (ISPs), critical infrastructure such as power grids and cables, and market conditions that influence affordability and demand, according to the organisations in a joint statement.
Once implemented, entities or operators responsible for an important part of a country’s internet ecosystem, such as electricity utilities, mobile network operators, ISPs, internet exchange points, or a country-code top-level domain registry, must develop a resilience plan within one year of the framework’s official adoption.
The statement also mentions several past disruptions that hampered communication, such as the West Africa Cable System failure in March 2024, which cut off 13 countries for days.
They went on to explain that the plan must be evaluated and updated on an annual basis and be compatible with the entity or operator’s continuity and reconstitution plans.
It (framework) should also specify how the organisation intends to incorporate the resilience features of redundancy, resourcefulness, rapid recovery—all of which are critical components of achieving overall robustness—into its operations.
ATU has warned that every blackout is a flashing red warning, and that the framework would act as an insurance policy against outages.
“Connectivity remains Africa’s nervous system and when it stutters, schools, hospitals and markets stutter too. This framework is our insurance policy against digital darkness”, said John Omo, secretary general of ATU.
Arthur Carindal, AFRINIC’s head of stakeholder engagement, commended the institutions for their coordinated efforts.
He said: “It is a great honour for AFRINIC to collaborate with ATU and ISOC in transformative initiative enabling all stakeholders to participate in developing Africa’s internet resilience model framework, which highlights key policy recommendations and best practices for strengthening internet infrastructure in Africa.”
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reiterated its commitment to the full operationalisation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Executive Order on Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), which designates telecommunications facilities as critical national assets deserving optimal protection.
This comes on the heels of a successful mediation led by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), in collaboration with the Commission, which resulted in the suspension of a planned strike by the Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA).
The strike, if carried out, would have disrupted the supply of diesel to telecommunications sites nationwide, severely affecting network operators’ ability to power their diesel-driven generators and maintain uninterrupted connectivity.
In the days leading up to the resolution, the ONSA, under the leadership of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, held strategic engagements with NOGASA’s leadership, with the Commission providing technical and regulatory guidance to highlight the potential implications of service disruptions on national security, the economy, and everyday life.
The discussions culminated in an agreement to call off the industrial action, averting what could have been a nationwide disruption of telecom services.
“Telecommunications infrastructure is the backbone of our connectivity and digital economy. Any disruption, whether through vandalism, accidental damage during construction work, theft of equipment, denial of access to maintenance teams, or interruptions in the supply of essential operational materials, has far-reaching implications for service delivery, economic stability, and national security,” the NSA said.
The Commission expressed appreciation to the ONSA for its leadership and dedication to protecting national assets and commended the maturity and understanding demonstrated by relevant stakeholders in recognising the national importance of telecommunications services.
Commenting on the development, the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Dr. Aminu Maida, stated: “We will continue to enforce strict compliance by our licensees with technical standards for the deployment and maintenance of telecommunications infrastructure, while working closely with relevant stakeholders to strengthen awareness and cooperation on their protection.
“We also recognise mediation as an effective tool for building consensus among stakeholders. This resolution underscores the importance of dialogue in preventing avoidable service disruptions. Ultimately, we call on all Nigerians to regard telecom infrastructure as a shared national asset, one that underpins our ability to connect with loved ones, transact businesses, access healthcare, pursue education, and participate in the global digital economy.”
The Commission reaffirmed that it would continue to coordinate with security agencies, industry stakeholders, and the public to ensure that Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure remains protected, resilient, and reliable for all.
Active internet subscriptions across mobile, fixed, and VOIP networks in Nigeria dropped to 141.1 million in June, representing a 0.3% decline from the 141.5 million recorded in May, according to the latest statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Mobile network operators MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile maintained their dominance with a combined 140.6 million subscriptions, leaving Internet Service Providers and others with 528,633 subscriptions at the end of June.
Despite the slight drop in subscriptions, data consumption continued to grow. Nigerians used 1.044 million terabytes of data in June, marginally higher than the 1.043 million terabytes recorded in May, which had been the highest monthly usage since January 2023.
Telecom operators say this surge in data usage is driven by the rapid growth of Nigerian cities, especially Lagos, where more people, businesses, and devices are fueling record bandwidth consumption. In response, operators are expanding capacity to meet the rising demand.
NITDA Reacts as Firm Petitions over Deployment of Fake PCs
Airtel Nigeria Launches ‘Airtel Assist’ on WhatsApp
Cyber Attack Hits Customs Platform, Disrupts Clearance Operations
ATU, AFRINIC Urge Governments, Regulators to Develop Internet Resilience Framework
NDPC, Bauchi State Partner to Boost Data Governance
Telecom2 days agoAirtel, Vodacom sign Network Infrastructure Agreement to Drive Digital Inclusion
Telecom2 days agoNCC Bars Ex-Officials from Joining Telecom Firms for 5 Years
E-Business2 days agoFirm Shares Tips for Safer Remote Working
E-Financial2 days agoWorld Bank Approves $300m Loan to Support IDPs in Northern Nigeria
E-Financial2 days agoUBA Unveils Revamped Website, Heralds New of Digital Experience
Telecom2 days agoElon Musk Threatens to Sue Apple Over Alleged App Store Bias Favoring ChatGPT
General News2 days agoHuawei Hosts MTN MIP Fellows for Immersive Tech Experience in Lagos
General News2 days agoMasterCard Predicts Africa’s AI Market to Soar to $16.5Bn by 2030