The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has unveiled plans to establish research centers for emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain, across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones.
This announcement was made by NITDA’s Director of Corporate Planning and Strategy, Aristotle Onumo, on behalf of the Director General, Kashifu Inuwa, during the IoT West Africa Conference in Lagos. The initiative aligns with NITDA's commitment to building a robust technology research ecosystem in the country.
These research centers aim to foster development and create innovation sandboxes, providing a platform for innovators to develop use cases, establish businesses, and bring their products to market. This strategic move is expected to spur technological advancements and drive economic growth by enabling a conducive environment for tech-driven innovations across Nigeria.
In the news
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced a strategic focus on emerging technologies such as IoT, blockchain, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), additive manufacturing, AI, and robotics. In addition to these research areas, NITDA will also extend its support to Nigerian startups developing products in these cutting-edge fields. This initiative aims to foster innovation and technological advancement across the country.
Director General Kashifu Inuwa emphasized NITDA's role in talent development, particularly through its support for the federal government's 3MTT program. Launched in November 2023 by the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, the 3MTT program aims to train three million technical talents by 2027. This initiative is part of the broader efforts of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy (FMCIDE) to build a skilled workforce capable of driving Nigeria's digital economy.
The IoT West Africa Conference, co-located with the Africa Data Center and Cloud Expo Africa, highlighted Nigeria's growing prominence in the tech sector. The organizers chose Nigeria as the host country due to its large youth population and vibrant startup ecosystem. With increasing investments in data centers, Nigeria's IoT market is expanding rapidly. The conference aimed to attract investors to support local startups that are developing innovative products in these emerging technologies.
In another significant development, the Nigerian government, in collaboration with local AI firms including NITDA and the National Centre for AI and Robotics (NCAIR), has launched its first multilingual large language model (LLM). This LLM will be trained in five low-resource languages and accented English, with support from fellows of the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Nigeria program. This initiative underscores Nigeria's commitment to leveraging advanced technologies to address local needs and enhance its technological capabilities.