Abuja — The Federal Government has opened a new chapter in Nigeria’s technology journey with the launch of the Nigeria Artificial Intelligence Scaling Hub (NAISH) and the unveiling of the Scaling AI for Development (SAID) Challenge.
At the inauguration in Abuja, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, spoke with conviction about Nigeria’s ambition to build an AI ecosystem that can solve real problems in healthcare, education, and agriculture.
“Our goal is not just to build applications, but to create an enabling environment where Nigerian innovators can thrive and produce globally competitive solutions,” he said.
The initiative comes with a $7.5 million support package from the Gates Foundation, spread over three years.
This funding will provide computing infrastructure, technical assistance, and policy support to help move AI projects from pilot stages into nationwide use.
Tijani drew parallels with Nigeria’s fintech success story, noting that it wasn’t just brilliant founders who made it work, but a coordinated effort involving government, regulators, academia, and development partners.
He stressed that the same ecosystem approach is now needed for AI.
Innovators will gain free access to the national AI computing infrastructure, lowering the cost of training models.
Through the SAID Challenge, mature AI solutions developed by Nigerians will be identified and paired with public institutions to tackle pressing challenges.
Prof. Olayinka David-West, Dean of Lagos Business School and Director of NAISH, explained that the hub will help government agencies pinpoint problems that AI can solve, while giving startups a clear path to deploy their innovations. He added that local infrastructure will reduce reliance on foreign cloud services, cutting costs for developers.
The Gates Foundation’s Nigeria Country Director, Uche Amaonwu, emphasised that AI should be judged by its impact on people’s lives, not just its technical sophistication.
He pointed out that locally built models are crucial, since many global systems fail to reflect African realities.
He highlighted AI’s potential to personalise education, improve maternal healthcare, and expand access to agricultural finance.
Stakeholders agreed that the real test will be Nigeria’s ability to move beyond isolated pilot projects and scale solutions that improve public services.
If successful, NAISH could position Nigeria as a leader in AI innovation across Africa.
