The minister shared a document titled 'Co-creating a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy for Nigeria,' highlighting AI's versatile role in transforming production, service delivery, and its potential to significantly boost economic growth and social advancement.
Quoting insights from the International Finance Corporation, the ministry revealed that embracing AI strategically could contribute up to $234 billion to Africa's GDP by 2030. However, the ministry acknowledged that while AI presents numerous opportunities, its governance entails intricate socio-technical challenges.
The ministry addressed concerns arising around AI ethics, bias, transparency, job automation, and privacy, particularly as algorithms are deployed in critical sectors like healthcare, finance, and security.
It stressed the consensus among policymakers and researchers that a human-centered approach is crucial to ensure fairness, accountability, and inclusivity in AI systems, catering to diverse groups across gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Highlighting the necessity, the ministry articulated that the development of a national AI strategy is essential to responsibly guide the AI revolution towards achieving core national objectives, including job creation, social inclusion, and sustainable development.
The ministry's vision includes pioneering ethical and inclusive AI innovations that enhance welfare and expand opportunities for all citizens. It aims to build upon the ongoing efforts of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in formulating a national AI strategy.
