Nigeria Pushes for AI Investment to Boost Digital Economy

On Monday, at the GITEX Nigeria 2026 Government Leadership and AI Summit in Abuja, Senator George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, urged for increased investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to bolster Nigeria's digital economy and data sovereignty. Akume, represented by Mrs. Bekearedebo Warrens, the Permanent Secretary of the Political and Economic Affairs Office, emphasized the need for Nigeria to transition from being a technology consumer to a builder and exporter of digital solutions.

He outlined government reforms aimed at establishing a competitive digital economy, including improvements to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) framework to enhance digital identity management. Additionally, Akume discussed Project Bridge, which plans to deploy 90,000 kilometers of fiber-optic infrastructure nationwide, and the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program, which has seen 1.87 million registrations and trained over 125,000 Nigerians in various tech fields.

He also mentioned the National Digital Cloud Policy, targeting $750 million in private investment over the next two years.