Nigeria’s NITDA Unveils Plans to Establish Research Centers for Emerging Technologies

Fostering Innovation and Development

Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has unveiled plans to establish research centers for emerging technologies across the country’s six geopolitical zones. The research centers will focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain technologies.

The centers aim to build a technology research ecosystem and serve as innovation sandboxes, enabling innovators to develop practical use cases, launch businesses, and bring their products to market. The initiative will support Nigerian startups developing products in these cutting-edge fields, enhancing the country’s technological landscape.

Key Areas of Focus

The research centers will focus on several key areas, including:

• IoT
• Blockchain technology
• Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
• Additive manufacturing
• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Robotics

Building Technical Talent

Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, announced the initiative at the IoT West Africa Conference held in Lagos. Inuwa emphasized that the new research centers align with the agency’s mission to support technological advancements and economic growth.

NITDA is committed to building technical talent through its Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan 2.0 (SRAP 2.0), which is anchored on eight pillars. The agency aims to achieve 95% digital literacy by 2030 and train 3 million young Nigerians in technology skills by the end of 2027.

Furthermore, the Nigerian government has recently launched its first multilingual large language model (LLM), which will be trained in five low-resource languages and accented English. The LLM is supported by fellows from NITDA’s 3MTT program.

Conclusion

The establishment of research centers for emerging technologies by NITDA is a significant step towards fostering innovation and development in Nigeria. The initiative will support Nigerian startups, enhance the country’s technological landscape, and build technical talent.

FAQs

Q: What is the focus of the research centers?

A: The research centers will focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain technology, and other emerging technologies.

Q: What is the purpose of the research centers?

A: The purpose of the research centers is to build a technology research ecosystem, enabling innovators to develop practical use cases, launch businesses, and bring their products to market.

Q: How many research centers will be established?

A: The research centers will be established across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

Q: What is the target of digital literacy by 2030?

A: The target of digital literacy by 2030 is 95%.

Q: What is the target of training 3 million young Nigerians in technology skills?

A: The target is to train 3 million young Nigerians in technology skills by the end of 2027.