Telecom
Nigeria Sets Bold Agenda to Shape the Future of AI — NITDA DG
Kashifu Inuwa, Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to becoming a key shaper in the global artificial intelligence (AI) landscape, stressing that the country’s efforts are deeply anchored in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Speaking during a plenary session themed “Technology, Migration & Trade Representation” at the Stakeholders’ Interactive engagement with the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance, held at the State House in Abuja, Inuwa outlined Nigeria’s strategic roadmap for emerging technologies.
He noted that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda places strong emphasis on economic diversification and inclusivity, with priority number seven focusing on accelerating industrialization, digitalization, creative industries, manufacturing, and innovation.
According to him, this vision has informed the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy’s roadmap, and guides NITDA’s ongoing initiatives to transform Nigeria into a digital powerhouse in Africa.
The NITDA boss explained that at the heart of this ambition is Nigeria’s National AI Strategy, which lays out a clear pathway for the country’s technological future.
He described the first priority as building foundational infrastructure that will allow Nigeria to play a meaningful role in the AI journey. According to him, this involves expanding connectivity, developing sovereign cloud platforms, and building clean and representative national datasets.
He noted the launch of the National Multilingual Large Language Model in New York as a major milestone, saying, “For us, it is important that our languages, our culture, and our people are represented in the AI of the future. That is why we built Nigeria’s own multilingual large language model — to ensure that technology reflects our identity and diversity.”
Inuwa also stressed the importance of nurturing the ecosystem by empowering startups and innovators, anchored by the Nigerian Startup Act which provides a legal and institutional framework for growth.
“Innovation does not happen in isolation. You need an ecosystem that connects government, innovators, investors, and global partners. Through our startup policies, we are not just encouraging entrepreneurship; we are deliberately prioritizing inclusivity and giving women founders the space to thrive,” he added.
On sectoral transformation, Inuwa explained that AI is being integrated into key industries such as healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, and education to radically boost productivity, adding that AI will not replace humans; rather, it will enhance human endeavor.
“With AI, we can achieve ten times the productivity we are seeing today. Imagine what it means when our doctors can diagnose faster, our farmers can predict yields better, and our manufacturers can cut inefficiencies. That is the kind of leap Nigeria is preparing for,” he stated.
Inuwa pointed out that if technology is not designed with inclusivity in mind, vulnerable groups could be left behind. “If you are digitally invisible, AI will not consider you in its decision-making. That is why inclusivity is not optional — it is central. In every one of our initiatives, we insist on at least 40 percent women representation, because we cannot build a future that excludes half of our population,” he said.
He concluded by stressing the importance of strong governance and regulation, noting that Nigeria is co-creating its AI governance framework with the ecosystem to ensure sustainability. “We cannot build this future in silos. We are working hand in hand with innovators, industry leaders, and the global community to create policies that safeguard innovation while protecting citizens. This is how Nigeria will lead responsibly.”
With this bold vision, Inuwa said Nigeria is sending a clear message to the world: the country is not waiting to be carried along in the AI revolution but is building the future and inviting others to innovate alongside it.
“Our journey is not just about technology, it is about people, prosperity, and positioning Nigeria as a global leader in shaping the future of artificial intelligence,” he emphasised.
AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software, driving digital transformation and sustainability, is setting a new standard for the industrial digital twin by converging all data onto CONNECT industrial intelligence platform.
Rob-McGreevy, Chief-Product Officer, AVEVA
Through enhancements to AVEVA Asset Information Management, AVEVA System Platform and AVEVA PI Data Infrastructure, AVEVA can enable the visualisation of engineering and operations data in one interface, offering organisations the ability to scale digital twin solutions more flexibly and reduce IT overhead.
The new enhancements, showcased at Schneider Electric’s Innovation Summit, will streamline the transfer of data to the CONNECT industrial intelligence platform in the cloud, improving data availability, reducing infrastructure costs, and enabling more precise, scalable analytics for digital twin applications.
Hosted from 22-23rd October the Innovation Summit featured a variety of speakers including Caspar Herzberg, CEO, AVEVA who discussed the role of software and industrial intelligence in accelerating the energy transition and CEO of Schneider Electric, Olivier Blum who shared his vision for the future of AI and energy transformation.
The event offered the opportunity to connect with industry trailblazers and energy technology luminaries for inspiring discussions on the energy transition, AI, and staying agile in fast-changing markets.
At this year’s Schneider Innovation summit, AVEVA showcased its solutions and vision for its industrial digital twin.
The new product enhancements will enable industrial organisations to create scalable, high-fidelity use cases that deliver real-time insight, improve asset reliability, accelerate decision-making, and support enterprise-wide transformation.
By eliminating data silos and enabling seamless collaboration across engineering, operations and IT, this will ensure AVEVA customers can drive better performance, carbon efficiency, and actionable industrial intelligence across the asset lifecycle.
“AVEVA’s technology is being used to aggregate, contextualize and validate asset information following industry data standard rules to provide a trusted digital twin.
“The technology will unify trusted asset information, such as equipment specifications, maintenance records, and engineering documentation, with real-time operational data from sensors, control systems, and industrial processes.
“This convergence happens within the CONNECT platform, built on Microsoft Azure, where contextualized data from AVEVA Asset Information Management and the AVEVA™ PI System™ portfolio is visualised together to unlock more value through AI-powered dashboards and analytics. We’re excited to bring this new software deliverable to the market,” comments Rob McGreevy, chief product officer, AVEVA.
For AVEVA Asset Information Management, the new enhancements will bring together trusted asset contexts, accessible through the CONNECT visualisation offering a single flexible and unified UI to visualise trusted engineering, asset and maintenance data. From P&IDs, drawings, and documents to real-time sensor readings, process events, and historical performance metrics, teams can view and analyse all relevant data in one place.
Meanwhile, AVEVA PI Data Infrastructure, is an ever-advancing modern and flexible foundation for rapidly connecting, contextualising and acting on industrial insights from operations data.
Its sophisticated data management capabilities continue to drive value across enterprises and new enhancements ensure enhanced hybrid connectivity, visualisation and analytics for AVEVA’s industrial digital twin.
“Our collaboration with AVEVA continues to evolve,” said Dayan Rodriguez, Corporate VP for Manufacturing, Microsoft. “By expanding the capabilities of the AVEVA portfolio and of the CONNECT platform on Microsoft Azure, AVEVA is unlocking new possibilities for industrial digital twin—bringing together trusted asset information and real-time operational data to deliver AI-powered insights, seamless visualisation, and enterprise-wide scalability.”
After days of online conversations and speculation, MTN Nigeria has officially unveiled its much-anticipated Festive campaign, YelloTide, a nationwide celebration aimed at spreading joy, kindness, and connection across the country.
The campaign officially kicks off this week, following a three-day teaser that had Nigerians across social media guessing what MTN had up its sleeve. Now, the wait is over.
According to the brand, the initiative will unfold in three major phases designed to light up the festive season with colour, community engagements, and giving spirit.
Activities begin with Y’ello Santa, a three-day activation held from Thursday, November 13 to Saturday, November 15, 2025, in six key cities: Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Enugu, Kano, and Ibadan. Each stop will feature surprise appearances, and special giveaways, turning everyday spaces into pockets of celebration.
Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria, said: “This season, we want to bring the smiles back. We want people to remember what it feels like to come together, celebrate each other, and share happiness. From city centres to small communities, we’re taking the celebration to where Nigerians are.”
The campaign will run through the festive period into early 2026, combining physical activations, digital engagement via the MTN portal – yellotide.mtn.ng, and heartfelt community moments.
With millions of Nigerians already interacting online and city-wide celebrations set to begin, MTN’s festive campaign is shaping up to be one of the most unifying and memorable projects of the season.
The race is down to three as the Glo Innov8 National STEM Competition for Girls approaches its grand finale. The competition, organized by the Glo Foundation, Globacom’s corporate social responsibility arm, will take place at the Mike Adenuga Centre (Alliance Française), Ikoyi, Lagos.
From over 200 schools that entered nationwide, 20 were initially shortlisted, and 10 went on to compete for a place in the finals. The three schools that made it to the last stage are Ephraim High School, Isolo Campus, Lagos; Regina Pacis International School, Onitsha, Anambra State; and Peakfield Academy, Jos, Plateau State.
Hundreds of students across several states, including Plateau, Kano, Lagos, Rivers, Edo, Borno, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Ondo, Oyo, Anambra, FCT, Delta, Kaduna, and Adamawa submitted entries after the Glo Foundation’s nationwide call for participation.
The initiative, designed as a STEM-driven challenge, was launched to mark this year’s International Day of the Girl Child — celebrating creativity, innovation, and inclusion among young women in science and technology.
According to the Glo Foundation, “The competition is aimed at inspiring young girls to Compete, Innovate, and Win — while strengthening their confidence and expanding their knowledge in STEM subjects.”
The winning school will take home ₦2,000,000 cash prize, with each of its two student representatives receiving a brand-new laptop and the Teacher/Mentor/STEM Coordinator earning ₦200,000. Runners-up will also receive valuable consolation prizes.
The three judges of the virtual stage expressed delight at the quality of presentations from the top 20 schools. Tosin Olabode praised the participants’ creativity, saying, “I was particularly impressed by the prototype presentations — some schools clearly did their homework.”
Another judge, Amina Gabriel, highlighted the diversity of ideas, noting, “The schools presented innovative solutions addressing issues in agriculture, security, waste management, and firefighting. The prototypes ranged from apps to robots, making the competition truly engaging. I’m grateful to Glo Foundation for giving me the chance to support young girls in STEM.”
On her part, Sharon Ibejih added that “this competition has showcased a highly competitive next generation of women leaders in STEM. It’s a brilliant platform to nurture problem-solving and innovative thinking among students.”
As the final stage approaches, anticipation is high for what promises to be a memorable showcase of brilliant young Nigerian girls and a testament to Globacom’s commitment to empowering the next generation of innovators.
SiBAN Partners Vontech to Strengthen Nigeria’s Blockchain Ecosystem with $100,000 AWS Cloud Support for Startups
PalmPay Executes Nigeria’s First Live Transaction on the National Payment Stack
Firm Urges Organizations to Check Protection of their Websites Amid Search Engine Optimisation Attack Schemes
Senate Seeks Full Disclosure in Probes Stamp Duty Collections
FCCPC Sets Deadline for Digital Lending Regulatory Compliance
ChatGPT Go Hits African Shores
Research ICT Africa Develops AI Framework for Africa
Lagos Deploys Drones to Monitor, Manage Traffic
Deepfakes: The Next Human Vulnerability for Businesses?
Cybersecurity Firm Shares a Guide to Deleting your Digital Footprint from the Internet
Telecom3 days agoNCC Cracks Down on Pre-Registered SIM Cards, Tightens Telecom Regulations
News3 days agoFG Unveils Talent Accelerator to Close Skills Gaps, Drive Economic Development
E-Business3 days agoFG Says Digital Innovation is Nigeria’s Quickest Path to Prosperity
E-Financial3 days agoNDIC Asks Nigerians to Report Suspicious Banks, Breaches
E-Business3 days agoUNODC Seeks Tougher Penalties for Revenge Porn Crimes
E-Financial3 days agoMastercard Launches Premium Lifestyle Suite for Elite Cardholders in EEMEA Region
News3 days agoTop 10 Finalists Set to Showcase Groundbreaking Student Innovations at COUCH 2025 Grand Finale
E-Financial3 days agoProparco, Ecobank Seal €10m Trade Finance Deal for SMEs