The Federal Government has called for the establishment of African Council for Artificial Intelligence (AI).
It said this while confirming the receipt of $3.5 million as seed funding for AI Strategy from interested partners.
The Minister of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani,, said it had become imperative to have the African Council for AI to ensure that the deployment of Artificial Intelligence in the continent is shaped by uniform regulations and market prospects.
The minister spoke at the weekend during the closing ceremony of a four-day international workshop on National Artificial Intelligence and Strategy for Nigeria.
Over 120 experts, researchers, academia and professionals from across the world attended the workshop.
Commenting on the seed funding for National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, Dr. Tijani said the $3.5 million was for the support of Nigeria’s efforts in AI systems and its deployment in the country.
The minister said the donation came from foreign and local partners, such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNESCO, Meta, Google, Microsoft, Luminate, Lagos Business School, Data Science Nigeria, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and other agencies under the supervision of his ministry.
Dr. Tijani explained that with a collective pool of resources by local and foreign partners, there is nothing impossible for Nigeria to achieve with the AI strategy.