Nigerian Youths Must Be Prepared For AI Technology Future – Tinubu Tells Meta Team

 

 

 

 

President Bola Tinubu has said his administration is sustaining investments in digital technology to enhance the sustainability of small businesses, expand opportunities across sectors, and propel Nigeria to communications technology in Africa.

 

 

A statement on Thursday, by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, said that Tinubu disclosed this when he received a delegation from Meta Platforms Incorporated, led by Sir Nick Clegg, former UK Deputy Prime Minister and Meta's President of Global Affairs, at the State House in Abuja.

 

 

According to the statement, President Tinubu stated that Nigeria could not afford to be left behind in this age of technological advancements, adding that his administration was opening up channels of opportunities in information and communications technology as well as deepening capacity. 

 

 

In view of his administration's 3MTT programme, which is training three million Nigerian youths in digital technology and essential skills before deploying them to innovation hubs across the nation, the President emphasised that Nigerian youths are the most critical asset in Nigeria's arsenal as it moves to achieve digital economic expansion the presidential spokesman quoted the President to have said.

 

 

"For us in Nigeria, we have a vibrant, gifted and resourceful youth population. Recognising that the future is most likely to be AI-enabled, we have to prepare our youths and make them ready to compete and participate in the global economy.

 

 

"I can assure you that Nigeria is open for business. We want to lead the African continent in digital technology. Data is valuable to our development. We are ready to cooperate on technological advancements. It is the only way to go. We need a collaboration that will be a win-win for all," the President said.

 

 

Emphasising the importance of technology in driving small businesses, the President said he is committed to ensuring that technology is deployed, adapted, enhanced, and used to catalyse growth across a vast majority of micro businesses, spurring mass prosperity down the line.

 

 

"What interests me is the use of technology in the development of small businesses. We need to make the business environment more conducive for you and more profitable for us as well. I hope we can collaborate and continue to promote our mutual interests," President Tinubu told the delegation.

 

 

Earlier in his remarks, Clegg thanked the President for an executive order he issued, which enabled the landing of the Meta-backed deep-sea cable in Nigeria. 

 

 

"It is an extraordinary infrastructure project. When it comes on stream in the first quarter of 2025, it will be twice as much as the capacity of all subsea cables that exist. We buried the cable 50 percent deeper than any other subsea cables under the seabed. It is more powerful and more extensive in terms of its geographical connectivity. It could yield up to 37 billion dollars worth of increase in economic activity in the next two or three years across the African continent," he said.