Better Education, Stronger Tech Infrastructure Essential For AI Adoption – Researcher

Better education, stronger tech infrastructure essential for AI adoption – Researcher

By Sylvester Thompson

A Research Scientist, Dr Friedrick Ubokudom, says Nigeria’s path to responsible adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) lies in scaling education, strengthening digital infrastructure, and embedding ethics into every stage of AI development.

Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday, Ubokudom said adopting AI responsibly involved combining strong policy frameworks and investing in local capacity.

He added that it also involved partnerships with academia and industry.

“The country’s National AI Strategy (2025) already sets the foundation, but scaling talent pipelines, ethical governance and digital infrastructure are critical steps,’’ he said.

Ubokudom, who is a data analyst for a private technology firm, recalled that in 2025, the University of Lagos partnered with Open AI to launch Africa’s first OpenAI Academy.

He said the partnership aimed at training students, researchers and professionals in AI skills, adding that expanding such academies across Nigeria’s major universities would help democratise access to AI education.

According to him, organisations like Data Science Nigeria already run bootcamps and hackathons to train young professionals, and that scaling these initiatives nationwide can create a robust talent pipeline.

The AI researcher urged the Federal Government to expand Galaxy Backbone’s cloud and data centre services to ensure secure, scalable computing power for AI projects.

He said investing in broadband penetration and affordable internet access was essential for supporting AI adoption beyond urban centres.

Ubokudom said: “Building national data repositories with strong privacy safeguards will provide the raw material for AI systems while ensuring compliance with ethical standards.

“Brain drain is also one of the key challenges of AI adoption, as AI professionals may migrate abroad unless Nigeria creates competitive opportunities.”

He noted that a key infrastructure gap was power supply and internet connectivity, which remained uneven and limited AI scalability.

“There are also ethical concerns, and without strong oversight, AI can reinforce inequalities or be misused in surveillance,” the researcher said. (NAN)

Edited by Yinusa Ishola/Christiana Fadare