Nigeria is investing in a 90,000-kilometer fiber-optic network, training for 3 million technical workers and a national shared computing facility as it seeks to expand artificial intelligence adoption and strengthen its domestic innovation industry.
Communications and Innovation Minister Bosun Tijani said the government was building the infrastructure needed for businesses, researchers and entrepreneurs to develop AI applications, while supporting a separate network of innovators to translate those investments into commercial solutions.
The fiber-optic deployment is being supported by a $1.6 billion fund led by the World Bank, Tijani said during a panel discussion at a summit in Seoul. He did not provide a completion date for the network or a breakdown of the fund’s financing.
Nigeria is also working with the Gates Foundation on a national shared computing facility and has developed an open-source large language model that Tijani said was already being used. The government has separately set a target of training 3 million technical workers, an initiative he said had been underway for three years.
The investments reflect a broader challenge facing developing economies. Access to digital infrastructure does not automatically produce locally developed technology businesses. Governments must also build the skills, research capacity and commercial networks that allow companies to turn infrastructure into products.
Tijani said Nigeria had established the Nigeria AI Collective, an independent community of people working in artificial intelligence, to encourage collaboration and accelerate the development of local solutions. The initiative received funding from eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, he said.
The government helped initiate the collective but is not directly involved in its operations, Tijani said.
He argued that the division of responsibilities was important, with the government concentrating on foundational infrastructure while innovators developed applications and businesses. Researchers, entrepreneurs, companies and civil society also have roles in generating knowledge, commercialising technology and establishing safeguards, he said.
Nigeria has also established the AI Trust, a body of trustees intended to help guide the country’s priorities in artificial intelligence.
Tijani cited a Cambridge University ranking that placed Nigeria first in Africa for responsible AI, attributing the result partly to activity across its innovation ecosystem rather than government programmes alone.
The government now wants to deepen investment in technical talent and institutions, including strengthening its AI centre and potentially establishing AI laboratories in key regions. Tijani said Nigeria saw opportunities to develop local expertise and export AI talent. The challenge for Nigeria is to ensure that investments in connectivity, computing and training generate commercially viable businesses and productivity gains, rather than infrastructure alone.
