Expert Decries Dearth in Local, Global Artificial Intelligence Talents

The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Abdullahi, has described the dearth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) talent, locally and globally, as massive.

Abdullahi said this at the third international conference on Artificial Intelligence and robotics with the theme ‘Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain for Sustainable Development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)’.

The two-day conference was organised by the Machine Intelligence Research Group (MIRG) of the University of Lagos.

Abdullahi said the need for professional AI personnel was almost insatiable as awareness of AI implications for development became real globally.

He said there is an urgent need for national efforts towards sufficient capacity building in AI if the country is to achieve the much-needed accelerated growth and transformation.

“The NITDA boss said, “As we embrace the digital future, AI is proving to be a formidable force, with projections indicating a substantial global revenue of $134.8 billion by 2025. The McKinsey Global Survey 2023 underscores the resilience of AI adoption, even in challenging economic climates.”

Abdullahi added, “In the dynamic landscape of technology, where the ICT sector contributes significantly to our GDP, we find ourselves at the forefront of change. Nigerians aptly refer to the ICT sector as the ‘new oil’, a testament to its potential for economic growth and diversification.”

AI promises to contribute a staggering $1.5 trillion to Africa’s economy by 2030, as Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) projected, said the NITDA director-general.

He also mentioned that the Nigeria Artificial Intelligence Research Scheme (NAIRS) exemplified the agency’s commitment to fostering a vibrant AI ecosystem.

Dr. Thuweba Diwani, Commission Manager of GIZ/Digital Transformation Centre, Nigeria, said the centre, jointly funded by the European Union, would build a thriving and inclusive digital innovation ecosystem in Nigeria.

She noted that the project followed a holistic approach to digitising the economy as it worked with all stakeholders in the digital ecosystem to promote the supply of and demand for innovation.

UNILAG Vice-Chancellor, Prof Folasade Ogunshola, said academic conferences had been identified as one of the avenues for intellectual discourse and presentation of novel research results.

She said they also had served as platforms for introducing new research areas, emerging new research topics, discovering prospective research collaborators, and training junior researchers and research students, among other benefits.

Chairman of the conference, Dr. Victor Odumuyiwa, said in a world marked by rapid technological advancements, the intersection of AI and Blockchain presented unprecedented opportunities for empowerment.

He said that it also provided a platform for the development of MSMEs.

According to him, the conference also provides a platform for collaborative dialogue, knowledge exchange and the exploration of groundbreaking ideas that will shape the future of the country’s economic landscape.