Nigeria to equip 70% of youths with AI skills to reduce unemployment

Nigeria wants to equip 70 percent of its young workforce (aged 16 – 35 years) with Artificial Intelligence (AI) related skills and knowledge to reduce unemployment by five percentage points.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria’s unemployment rate was 5 percent in the third quarter of 2023, with the formal sector accounting for only 7.7 percent of employment opportunities. The draft National AI Strategy released on Friday revealed that the global demand for AI talents and skills is growing, and a highly skilled workforce is a critical long-term need of any well-functioning AI ecosystem.

The strategy document was drafted by Nigerian AI professionals and stakeholders under the supervision of the Ministry of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy. It aims to leverage the country’s strengths and address its challenges, ensuring Nigeria isn’t left behind in the AI revolution.

AI is poised to add $2.9 trillion to Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030, and the Nigerian AI market is projected to hit $434.4 million by 2026.

Equipping citizens with AI skills is a strategy already adopted by frontrunner nations, regions, and companies to attract, develop, and train talent to build and utilise AI technologies. The draft document emphasises that building an AI-ready workforce involves educating the future workforce at multiple levels, training the current workforce, attracting and retaining talent in AI, and drawing international talent to Nigeria.

“Nigeria shall also emphasise technical skills and talent to drive AI adoption and initiatives, as well as change management, interaction design, legal and business models, communication, innovation management, and many more context-dependent skills,” the document read.

The drafters of the AI strategy expect Nigeria to actively contribute to the local and global workforce, job creation, and entrepreneurial endeavours in AI-driven industries. They noted that the country’s youthful population is a significant asset for promoting economic development, particularly in AI.

“This demographic trend underscores the critical role that Nigeria’s youth will play in the global economy, especially in providing a digitally enabled workforce for the global AI ecosystem requirements. Furthermore, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) (46) forecasts that by 2030, 28 million jobs in Nigeria will demand digital skills, highlighting a market valued at $130 billion,” they added.

However, the strategy document acknowledges that Nigeria faces significant challenges in realising the full potential of its youth demographic due to high levels of poverty, unemployment, and insecurity.

Olumide Balogun, Director of Google West Africa, recently highlighted how AI can be leveraged to address some of these challenges.

He said, “When people think about AI, they always think about robotics and very geeky and technical things. But if you think about what we are already doing with AI, things like flood forecasting in the North, where forecasts on flooding can get people out of harm’s way and give the government notice. Things like prenatal care, disease control, and food security are very close to what we need to do now.”

The shortage of skilled AI professionals poses a major challenge to Nigeria’s ambition of becoming a leader in AI development in Africa. Only 3 percent of IT professionals in Nigeria specialize in AI and robotics. The drafters of the strategy noted that the country’s educational infrastructure is not yet robust enough to support widespread AI education, with many institutions lacking the resources, technology, and trained educators needed to teach AI-related courses effectively.

GSMA, the umbrella body for telcos, recently revealed that most Nigerian universities are facing challenges in hiring professors with expertise in AI.

“In Kenya and Nigeria, the scarcity of professors with robust AI expertise and qualifications appears to be a significant challenge. Academic institutions typically lack the financial resources to recruit them, impacting the quality of courses offered,” it said.

The AI strategy also addresses the importance of responsible data collection for AI training, gaps in infrastructure, and the need for improved internet access and bandwidth to foster innovation in the country.