The Federal Government has urged young Nigerian innovators to take advantage of Artificial Intelligence, AI, in tackling the country’s socio-economic challenges, saying the technology presents fresh opportunities for growth, innovation and job creation.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, made the call while speaking with journalists after delivering the Distinguished Personality Lecture Series at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
Speaking on the theme, “ICT and Employment Generation: Strategies for Economic Growth,” Tijani encouraged tech-savvy Nigerians to change how they view the country’s challenges, urging them to focus more on the opportunities that technology and innovation can unlock.
He said young people must make deliberate efforts to understand how AI works and apply its potential to national development, adding that the future of Nigeria depends on innovators who are ready to build solutions to real problems.
“To young innovators: we live at a time that is totally different. Of course, there is so much more that we all desire for our society. We should switch our framing from a society that is filled with challenges to one that is filled with opportunities to build, because the future we require in Nigeria will require many people building new things,” Tijani said.
The minister explained that his message was shaped by personal experience, noting that he had taken similar steps earlier in his career by supporting innovation and entrepreneurship.
“I am not saying this only as a Minister, but as someone who took the same position. I worked with someone from this university to build the first known innovation hub in Nigeria. Today, it is known across Africa. We supported many people to build solutions to problems in Nigeria, and that is what every young Nigerian should be doing,” he added.
Tijani described AI as a critical tool for speeding up economic growth and improving productivity, stressing that the technology is meant to support human thinking rather than replace it.
“Artificial Intelligence is not about replacing critical thinking; it is about helping humans sieve through the multiple streams of information you have to deal with. The ability to use AI productively will still require you to apply your creative confidence. If you don’t have the ability to apply the knowledge or insight that AI gives you, it will not do the work for you,” he said.
According to the minister, countries like Nigeria, where productivity remains a major focus, can benefit significantly from AI by applying knowledge more efficiently and at a faster pace.
“For a country like Nigeria, where productivity is high on our agenda, AI is there to help us accelerate the growth of how we apply knowledge much faster,” Tijani said.
He also said the Federal Government would continue to work closely with institutions such as OAU that place strong emphasis on research, innovation and idea generation, noting that such partnerships are central to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.
“Technology gives you the ability to do what you have always been doing in better ways, and that would not be possible without new thinking, ideas, and technology,” the minister said.
He added that universities play a key role not only in generating new scientific knowledge but also in ensuring that such knowledge is applied to solve practical problems.
“Institutions like this help us not just to come up with new science, but also to apply that science and train people to do things better. If we want to improve agriculture, for example, we need people who understand how to use new technology,” Tijani said.
He said the quality and volume of ideas coming from OAU showed that the institution was focused on research and innovation, which informed the government’s decision to strengthen collaboration with the university.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of OAU, Prof. Adebayo Simeon Bamire, said the minister’s visit demonstrated his ministry’s commitment to deeper collaboration with tertiary institutions in building a digitally empowered and innovation-driven nation.
Bamire also commended Tijani for the approval and establishment of the OAU Centre of Excellence in Telecommunications, granted in July 2023 by the Nigerian Communications Commission.
“The approval for the establishment of this centre in 2023 was warmly received by our university community, as it aligns perfectly with our strategic vision to be a leading hub for innovation, research and development in Information and Communication Technology in Nigeria and Africa at large,” the vice-chancellor said.
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