The Federal Government of Nigeria is eagerly looking for a way to work with the private sector to create an Artificial Intelligence (AI) fund to help the country become more technologically advanced.
At the start of the Zenith Bank Tech Fair 2023 in Lagos, Dr Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, talked about this plan. He agreed that Nigeria has been behind in AI because the country hasn’t put enough money into technology recently.
With the idea that government funding alone might not be enough, the goal of the proposed fund is to make Nigeria a world leader in AI within the next four years.
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Tijani highlighted private sector involvement
Using and improving AI doesn’t have to be the government’s job alone. It is also essential to think about efficient intelligence regarding your business, not just companies like Zenith Bank. AI becomes more vital and valuable when people put it first as a society.
When he spoke to private sector groups, he stressed the importance of supporting the AI fund for technology-based economic growth. The minister discussed how the fund would work as a partnership, with the government and the business sector working together to speed up AI development in Nigeria. He was sure that in the next three to four years, Nigeria could become a world star in artificial intelligence.
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Zenith Bank’s Perspective on Technology
The Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Ebenezer Onyeagwu, spoke at the beginning of the Zenith Bank Tech Fair. He said that the bank was a technology company with a banking license.
Onyeagwu stressed that companies need to adopt technology or become technology-focused to secure their future because he knew how important it was for them to stay current. He talked about how ready Zenith Bank is because it has bought a new digital interface with solid features that can connect with apps worldwide without problems.
It’s the third time that the Zenith Bank Tech Fair has been held. It lasts for two days and gives tech leaders from all over Nigeria a chance to work together to plan the future of tech growth. Zenith Bank ultimately sponsors the event and frees tech companies to show off their goods.