Obasanjo Urges Nigeria to Own AI for National Development

Olusegun Obasanjo, the former President of Nigeria, spoke at the Ajibosin Platform in Abeokuta, Ogun State, addressing the theme “Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to solve grassroots problems and accelerate National Development.” He expressed concern over Nigeria's dependence on young, unmarried experts for economic advice, arguing that they lack the experience necessary to understand the complexities of managing a country. Obasanjo criticized Nigeria's reliance on foreign institutions like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, stating their policies do not cater to Nigeria's unique circumstances.

He highlighted the importance of artificial intelligence in addressing national challenges, particularly in education, where 24 million Nigerian children are out of school, and in agriculture, food security, healthcare delivery, and pharmaceutical production. Obasanjo urged Nigeria to take ownership of AI to effectively tackle these pressing issues.