*Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, at GITEX 2025, in Dubai, gives insight into Nigeria鈥檚 commitment to leveraging Artificial Intelligence for national development, innovation, and global competitiveness

Gbenga Kayode | 绿帽献妻

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has restated Nigeria鈥檚 commitment to leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) for national development, innovation, and global competitiveness.

绿帽献妻 reports Malam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), said this while speaking during a Fireside Chat at the AI Stage of the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) 2025, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Offering insights into the theme of Nigeria鈥檚 AI journey thus far, Inuwa emphasised the West African country鈥檚 approach to adopting AI is deliberate and strategic.

NITDA also quoted Inuwa to have stated: 鈥淥ur vision is clear on how we can harness the transformative power of AI through responsible, ethical, and inclusive innovation to foster sustainable development through collaboration.”

He equally explained how Nigeria鈥檚 AI Strategy is built upon five guiding principles.

Inuwa listed these principles as responsibility, ethics, inclusivity, sustainability, and collaboration.

The NITDA Chief Executive declared: 鈥淭hese are not just words; they are our compass.

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“Everything we are doing in AI must reflect these values.

“We are not just building systems; we are shaping a future that works for everyone.鈥�

Core objectives of National AI Strategy, by Inuwa

In his further contribution to the Fireside Chat at AI Stage of GITEX 2025, Inuwa disclosed that Nigeria’s National AI Strategy is structured around three key objectives, and five strategic pillars.

According to him, these are aimed at building foundational infrastructure, strengthening the ecosystem, accelerating adoption across critical sectors, promoting responsible and ethical AI, and ensuring effective governance.

Highlighting the impact of AI across sectors of the economy, the Director-General of NITDA declared that the technology is already driving transformation in agriculture, healthcare, education, and finance in the emerging Nigeria Digital Economy.

He further explained: 鈥淚n agriculture, we are helping farmers make informed decisions using real-time data on soil, weather, and crop health.

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“In healthcare, AI is enabling faster diagnosis and extending services to rural areas.”

Inuwa stated: “In education, we are embedding AI literacy into formal learning so our young people are not left behind.

“And in finance, AI tools are detecting fraud, improving credit access, and driving financial inclusion.”

He as well explained how the Nigerian Government is exploring AI applications to enhance public services.

All these envision a future where citizens can obtain passports or business permits in minutes rather than weeks, he noted.

Inuwa asserted: 鈥淎I can help make that a reality. We see it as an opportunity to rebuild trust between government and citizens by making public services smarter, faster, and more transparent.”

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Inuwa revealed that 70 percent of Nigeria鈥檚 online population already uses generative AI tools, surpassing the global average of 48 percent.

The Director-General attributed this development to the Nigerian youthful population and proactive investment in digital talents.

He took the opportunity to enumerated NITDA’s flagship digital initiatives, including the Digital Literacy for All programme (DL4ALL), which targets 95 percent national digital literacy by 2030; the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, one of the world鈥檚 largest digital upskilling projects; and a new policy digital literacy integration into all levels of education.

Inuwa, at GITEX 2025, unveiled Nigeria鈥檚 plan to develop its indigenous Large Language Model (LLM), known as M-ATLAS.

He said: 鈥淣igeria has over 500 languages and countless dialects.

“If we rely only on foreign AI models, they won鈥檛 understand our nuances, culture, or people.”

The Chief Executive of the Information Technology (IT) sector regulatory agency stated: “That is why we are building M-ATLAS, an indigenous LLM that reflects our diversity and eliminates bias.

“We want an AI that understands the meaning of 鈥榓kwa鈥�, 鈥榚kaabo鈥�, or 鈥榮annu’, not just translates them.”

Reflecting on Africa鈥檚 potential, Inuwa drew parallels with the continent鈥檚 technological leap in mobile adoption, asserting that Africa could surpass that success in AI.

The Director-General stated: 鈥淭he difference this time is that we are building from within, shaping the rules, not catching up with them.

鈥淎I is not about machines replacing humans; it is about amplifying human potential.”

Inuwa said: ” It is strategy first, technology second. Our mission is to use AI responsibly to drive prosperity, inclusivity, and sustainable development. “If we get it right, AI can help Nigeria achieve tenfold or even hundredfold improvement in productivity and innovation.

“That is the future we鈥檙e building.”

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