Tijani: Artificial Intelligence Can Enhance Good Governance, Security, Others

James Emejo in Abuja and Funmi Ogundare in Lagos 

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has said that Nigeria stands to benefit immensely from the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to solve certain societal challenges.

Speaking on News Night on Arise Television, on Monday, he said despite the reservations expressed in some quarters about AI, the technology could be mainstreamed to find solutions to specific challenges in the present administration.

The minister pointed out that remained crucial for achieving the country’s development aspirations.

He said, “We know that technology is a tool that the nation will need to develop. For Nigeria to develop, we need to mainstream the application of technology.”

He added that without data of people, properties and society,  there’s little that can be achieved amid current dynamics.

The minister said, “What we stand to gain is that we already have young Nigerians building AI solutions.

“For this government in particular, we have this understanding that this is a phenomenon we can’t look away from.

“We can’t say because we are an African countries, it’s not something that is important to us.

“For the types of problems we will be solving in this government, it’s extremely important that we mainstream the application of Artificial Intelligence because without data or knowledge of your properties or society, there’s so much you can’t do.”

Tijani, among other thing stressed that AI, when properly mainstreamed, could contribute to good governance and solve the challenges of insecurity among others.

He said, “When you talk about security, there is so much that data can help you do. Artificial Intelligence can help with allocation of resources as well because we don’t have all the resources in the world that we can actually use to develop our society.

“By studying your environment, you can understand it better. So, smart appropriation of resources is very important. This is where artificial intelligence comes in. What we stand to gain is that we are going to see more people building AI based solutions that will be applied in spaces like agriculture, public health, and in education.

“AI is changing the face globally because you can see what teachers can teach fast enough.”

On the timeline for the adoption of AI in the country, he said, “I am extremely lucky to be with this government. We have a president that is very pro-business which is to diversify Nigeria’s economy and improve the quality of life for the people which is why we had the retreat we finished last Friday when every minister was asked to sign a bond.”