NITDA DG calls for inclusive AI that expands human potential
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has called for a more inclusive approach to artificial intelligence that gives people the ability to understand, shape and benefit from the technology.
Abdullahi made the call during a high-level global dialogue on technology, innovation and social business for sustainable and inclusive development, where he joined political leaders, development advocates and technology stakeholders.
The session featured the President of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Dr. Khalilur Rahman; President of Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta; Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay; Brazil’s State Minister of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger, Wellington Dias; and Pakistan’s Minister of State and Chairman of the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, Bilal Bin Saqib.
Also participating was Nobel Peace Laureate and Grameen Bank founder, Professor Muhammad Yunus.
In his keynote address, Abdullahi argued that the global conversation on AI should move beyond expanding access to technology to ensuring that people are represented in the systems being developed and have the ability to influence and create value from them.
“Inclusive AI requires representation and access—and access must mean agency, not just consumption,” he said.
Using agriculture as an example, the NITDA DG described how AI could give a Nigerian farmer access to expertise that might otherwise be unavailable, including information on weather, soil conditions, crop problems and market opportunities.
“The promise of AI is not that every Nigerian becomes an AI expert. It is that AI can put expertise within the reach of every Nigerian,” he said.
Abdullahi identified four pillars of Nigeria’s approach to inclusive AI development: Connect, Skill, Compute and Create.
He referenced initiatives aimed at expanding connectivity, developing digital and technical skills, strengthening sovereign cloud and AI capabilities, and creating an environment where entrepreneurs can develop technology solutions to address societal challenges.
On digital sovereignty, he said Nigeria’s objective was not to isolate itself technologically but to develop the capacity to ensure that AI systems understand Nigerian data, contexts and nuances, comply with Nigerian laws and reflect the country’s culture and values.
He also called for greater cooperation between governments, technology companies and citizens.
According to him, governments should provide infrastructure, clear policies and regulatory certainty while protecting citizens.
Technology companies, he said, should move beyond selling products in Africa to investing in local computing capacity, transferring knowledge, developing talent and supporting African datasets, languages, researchers and innovators.
A major part of his address focused on accountability as AI becomes increasingly involved in areas such as healthcare, livelihoods, rights and public services.
“We can delegate tasks to machines. We cannot delegate accountability,” Abdullahi said.
He urged policymakers, technology companies and innovators to consider who is represented in the intelligence being developed and who has the agency to shape it and benefit from it.
He said Nigeria’s vision for AI should ultimately be measured not only by technological advancement but by its ability to improve human lives.
“The defining achievement of the AI age should not be that we created machines capable of extraordinary intelligence. It should be that we used that intelligence to unlock extraordinary human possibility; for everyone,” he said.
Through NITDA, Abdullahi said Nigeria remained committed to developing an AI ecosystem in which representation promotes relevance, access creates opportunities and agency enables Nigerians to become creators rather than merely consumers of AI.