On the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Nigeria's Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, participated in a session on "Hire from Nigeria" organised by the Nigeria Economic and Trade Advancement Programme. The session brought together key stakeholders to discuss impact sourcing, global trade, skills, and inclusive job creation. Abdullahi highlighted Nigeria's growing readiness to deliver globally competitive, technology-enabled services.
Abdullahi emphasised that Nigeria's competitive advantage must go beyond traditional outsourcing, leveraging Artificial Intelligence to build a distinctive position around AI-augmented, IT-enabled services. This approach aims to equip Nigerians not only to use emerging technologies but also to understand, shape, develop, and create economic value with them. By doing so, Nigeria can move beyond its current role and become a major player in the global digital economy.
The NITDA DG highlighted Nigeria's evolving frameworks around data protection, digital identity, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure assurance. These frameworks are crucial in establishing trust, security, and regulatory certainty, which are essential for attracting global businesses and positioning Nigeria as a dependable destination for digital services. Abdullahi referenced Project BRIDGE, which targets the deployment of 90,000 kilometres of fibre infrastructure.
Project BRIDGE is part of a broader strategy to attract private-sector investment in computing infrastructure and AI factories. The Cloud First Policy and other measures are also aimed at supporting this goal. By investing in digital infrastructure, Nigeria can create a solid foundation for its digital economy and become an attractive destination for businesses and investors.
Abdullahi also underscored the importance of representation in the AI economy. He cautioned that communities and economies absent from the datasets used to develop intelligent systems risk becoming invisible in the technologies shaping the future. This highlights the need for Nigeria to develop its indigenous AI capabilities and connect its talent and innovation ecosystem to opportunities in the global digital economy.
To achieve this goal, Nigeria has established initiatives such as the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics and the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy. These initiatives aim to develop indigenous AI capabilities and connect Nigeria's talent and innovation ecosystem to global opportunities. By doing so, Nigeria can ensure that its voice is heard in the development of AI technologies.
The NITDA DG's intervention reinforced a compelling proposition for Nigeria: the opportunity is not simply to supply talent to the world but to equip Nigerian talent with AI, trusted digital infrastructure, and globally competitive capabilities to deliver higher-value services to the world. This approach has the potential to drive economic growth, create jobs, and establish Nigeria as a major player in the global digital economy.
Key points
- Nigeria aims to leverage AI and technology to deliver high-value services globally.
- The country is investing in digital infrastructure, including Project BRIDGE and the Cloud First Policy.
- Nigeria is developing indigenous AI capabilities through initiatives such as the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.
