NITDA, UniAbuja Forge Alliance to Boost AI Research, Digital Skills

"Stronger partnerships between academia and government were essential to building a vibrant research ecosystem capable of producing technology-based solutions to Nigeria's socio-economic challenges." Abdullahi DG NITDA 

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has pledged to deepen collaboration with Nigerian universities to accelerate research, innovation and digital skills development, as part of efforts to drive inclusive economic growth and position Nigeria as a technology hub.

Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, made the commitment on Thursday while receiving the management of Yakubu Gowon University, led by its Vice-Chancellor, Hakeem Fawehinmi, at the agency's headquarters in Abuja.

Abdullahi said stronger partnerships between academia and government were essential to building a vibrant research ecosystem capable of producing technology-based solutions to Nigeria's socio-economic challenges.

He said NITDA was prioritising research in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, cybersecurity and cloud computing to support the country's digital economy.

According to him, universities remain the nation's "talent factories," making collaboration critical to producing the skilled workforce required for Nigeria's digital transformation.

Abdullahi also advocated the introduction of AI as a general studies course across tertiary institutions, arguing that every discipline should expose students to the fundamentals of artificial intelligence to prepare them for the future workplace.

He disclosed that NITDA was already working with the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission, the National Board for Technical Education and the National Commission for Colleges of Education to strengthen digital literacy across Nigeria's education system.

Earlier, Fawehinmi said the university was seeking NITDA's support to expand its digital infrastructure and deepen collaboration in research, innovation and capacity building.

He commended the agency for its support for the university's Digital Geoscience Centre and proposed partnerships in data sharing, staff exchange programmes and the establishment of joint research hubs.

The vice-chancellor said such collaboration would help produce highly skilled manpower while supporting Nigeria's digital transformation agenda.