Lotus bank has strengthened its push for inclusive and sustainable development through a strategic partnership with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to widen access to renewable energy solutions in underserved communities nationwide.

The collaboration was formalised on Monday in Abuja with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), under which LOTUS Bank will make available up to N100 billion in accessible financing to certified Renewable Energy Service Companies (RESCOs). The funding is expected to ease capital constraints that have slowed the pace of off-grid electrification projects across rural Nigeria.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LOTUS Bank, Dr. Isiaka Ajani-Lawal, described the partnership as a practical demonstration of the Bank’s founding philosophy.

“LOTUS Bank was established to redefine the impact that financial institutions can have on the society we serve – not simply through financing, but through partnership, empowerment, and shared prosperity,” he said.

Ajani-Lawal stressed that the initiative aligns with the Bank’s broader mission of deploying ethical, non-interest finance to address pressing national development priorities.

“Our involvement with REA and the DARES program underscores our commitment to supporting sustainable development goals, while driving financial inclusion across Nigeria. We believe non-interest finance must go beyond innovation — it must deliver tangible socio-economic value to all segments of society,” Ajani-Lawal assured.

On his part, REA Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, underscored the urgency of tackling financing gaps confronting renewable energy developers, particularly in the off-grid segment.

“While Nigeria has made strides in expanding energy access, financing remains a key constraint for RESCOs. Collaborations like this are essential in unlocking private sector investment and delivering sustainable energy solutions at scale,” Aliyu said.

Industry observers note that the partnership is poised to accelerate clean energy deployment, reduce financing bottlenecks, and catalyse private sector participation in Nigeria’s electrification drive.

It also aligns with the country’s National Electrification Strategy and Implementation Plan (NESIP) and advances Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), which seeks to ensure access to affordable, reliable and clean energy for all.

Since commencing operations in 2021, LOTUS Bank has carved a niche as a non-interest lender focused on financial inclusion. The Bank has rolled out innovative products tailored to individuals, women, youth and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), while investing in digital platforms to broaden access to ethical banking services across urban and rural communities.

Its interventions span community empowerment initiatives, corporate social responsibility programmes, and financial literacy campaigns designed to deepen understanding and adoption of non-interest banking principles.

In recognition of its expanding footprint in ethical finance, LOTUS Bank was recently named “Best Ethical and Financial Inclusion Bank of the Year” at the 2025 BusinessDay BAFI Awards, further cementing its reputation as a leading advocate of impact-driven banking in Nigeria.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to building a responsible, inclusive, and sovereign artificial intelligence ecosystem to enable Nigeria to transition from being a passive consumer of AI technologies to an architect and builder of indigenous AI systems.

This was said by the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi CCIE, while delivering a virtual address at the InnovateAI Conference held in Lagos.

The conference brought together policymakers, technology leaders, innovators, and stakeholders to discuss the future of artificial intelligence and its role in driving Nigeria’s digital economy and national development agenda.

Inuwa outlined Nigeria’s ambition to transition from being a consumer of artificial intelligence technologies to becoming a builder and owner of AI systems that reflect national values and priorities, in line with the National AI Strategy.

“Our goal is not just to use AI, but to architect and build our own AI systems in Nigeria,” he said, stressing that the country must take ownership of its AI future.

He noted that Nigeria’s approach to artificial intelligence extends beyond innovation to include governance, infrastructure, data sovereignty, and policy evolution.

According to him, “Responsible AI is never a finished job; it is an iterative journey. Our policies must evolve as the technology evolves, and we must avoid frozen laws by adopting living policies that adapt over time.”

He cited the implementation of the Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill as a key mechanism for generating insights that will help refine AI regulations and governance frameworks.

Inuwa also highlighted the challenge of data representation in global AI systems, noting that most models are trained on non-African datasets, which often results in bias against local dialects, cultures, and demographics.

“If a model shows bias against a local dialect or demographic, we cannot just patch it. We must reinvest in infrastructure to retrain it with inclusive and representative local datasets,” he stated.

He added that building national AI infrastructure is critical to achieving data sovereignty and ensuring that Nigeria is not merely an end user of foreign AI systems.

He further called for strategic partnerships with global technology companies and hyperscalers to build AI infrastructure in Nigeria while aligning with local values and national priorities.

“The world today is a global village. We need to work with global players, but they must understand our local nuances and help us build the infrastructure to retrain and develop AI models that reflect our context,” he said.

The NITDA Director General explained that adopting a comprehensive AI lifecycle approach, from responsible data collection and governance to deployment and continuous feedback, will enable Nigeria to move from reacting to AI developments to proactively designing indigenous AI systems.

“Without understanding how AI models are trained, how decisions are made, and how models are retrained, it will be difficult to build a responsible and trustworthy AI system,” he warned.

He reaffirmed that the Federal Government is intentional about promoting responsible AI and is working closely with the technology ecosystem to co-design national AI guardrails. He described platforms such as the InnovateAI Conference and other national AI dialogues as critical to shaping Nigeria’s AI future.

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have launched an ambitious $10 billion project to support the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across the continent.

The 10 Billion Initiative intends to accelerate ethical AI adoption and inclusive digital economic growth in Africa.

The initiative follows the Nairobi AI Forum, which took place earlier this month in Kenya and brought together governments, private sector leaders, development partners, and tech innovators to define pathways for impactful AI adoption.

According to the organisations, the strategy is a co-designed collaboration between the Bank Group, UNDP, and commercial partners that aims to raise up to $10 billion by 2035.

The resources will be used to create up to 40 million new jobs across the continent by 2035, through targeted investments that provide the groundwork for AI and accelerate widespread adoption in everything from entrepreneurship and regional data infrastructure to policy frameworks and skill development.

Nicholas Williams, AfDB Group ICT operations division manager, commented: “As a leading multilateral development institution, the bank is leveraging its comparative advantage to ensure Africa is not left behind in the AI era.

“The AI 10 Billion Initiative paves the way for expanded partnerships and sustained investments that will accelerate AI entrepreneurship, strengthen data and infrastructure ecosystems, and support inclusive growth across the continent.”