The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has canvassed for an inclusive artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem that empowers people to create value rather than merely consuming technology for frivolous needs.
The Director-General made the call on Tuesday at a high-level global dialogue on technology, innovation and social business for sustainable and inclusive development at a global forum that featured world leaders and development advocates organized to examine the role of emerging technologies in advancing human development.
Stressing that global conversation on AI must move beyond expanding access to technology to ensuring representation, access and agency for citizens, the industry expert maintained that
“inclusive AI requires representation and access—and access must mean agency, not just consumption.”
Abdullahi said AI systems must reflect the data, languages, cultures, contexts and values of the people they are designed to serve, while giving citizens the capacity to understand, build with and shape the technology.
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Citing the agriculture sector to justify his position, the NITDA boss said AI could put expert knowledge within the reach of farmers who have limited access to professional agronomists.
According to him, an AI-enabled agronomist could help a farmer understand weather and soil conditions, identify crop challenges and access markets, adding that the ultimate measure of AI should be its impact on productivity, incomes and communities.
Abdullahi clarified that the promise of AI “is not that every Nigerian becomes an AI expert. It is that AI can put expertise within the reach of every Nigerian.”
He listed four pillars of Nigeria’s approach to inclusive AI as CONNECT, SKILL, COMPUTE and CREATE, saying the initiatives are aimed at expanding connectivity, building digital skills, strengthening sovereign cloud and AI capabilities, and supporting innovation.
The Director-General explained that Nigeria’s pursuit of digital sovereignty was not aimed at technological isolation, but at ensuring that AI systems understand Nigerian data and context, operate within Nigerian laws and reflect national values.
Abdullahi charged global technology companies to move beyond selling technology to Africa and instead build with Africa by investing in computing infrastructure, transferring knowledge, developing local talent and supporting African datasets, languages and researchers.
He further emphasised the need to preserve human accountability as AI becomes increasingly involved in decisions affecting health, livelihoods, rights and public services.
The NITDA boss maintained: “We can delegate tasks to machines. We cannot delegate accountability.
“The defining achievement of the AI age should not be that we created machines capable of extraordinary intelligence. It should be that we used that intelligence to unlock extraordinary human possibility; for everyone”, Abdullahi added.
