… As China pledges open AI cooperation with Nigeria
By Nkiruka Nnorom
The Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, NIIA, and other scholars have urged the Federal Government to invest in digital sovereignty and build local capacity in Artificial Intelligence, warning that the country must not remain only a consumer of global technologies.
Speaking at the Third Lagos Forum themed: “A People-Centered Approach to AI Governance: China-Nigeria Cooperation for Bridging AI Divide”
, jointly organised by the NIIA and the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Lagos, NIIA’s Director General, Prof. Eghosa Osaghae, said that AI was rapidly reshaping economies, governance, healthcare, education and security worldwide, but Nigeria risked being left behind without deliberate action.
Represented by Prof. Femi Otubanjo, a political scientist and research professor at the institute, Osaghae said: “We simply do not have any escape. This is a world that has moved on.
“We missed the second industrial revolution. Even on the internet, we are consumers, not producers. So, what are we going to do with this one, this AI? Are we going to remain consumers?”
He stated that Nigeria’s large youthful population should be the engine of the AI revolution, but noted that it required government investment in learning, infrastructure and policy direction.
He added that critical issues of digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, and control of data must be central to Nigeria’s AI strategy.
“We need to look at issues of digital sovereignty, for example. Can we own, can we pay ownership to our own technology, cyber security and all kinds of things that are involved in it. Even the morality of the AI, the danger, the criminality of the AI. Those are the things that we have to look at.
“We need to get our government to invest in that learning process. We have to do catch up. We are behind,” Eghosa stated.
He said partnership with China was strategic because Beijing has emerged as one of the world’s foremost AI innovators through sustained investment in research, digital infrastructure and governance.
He, however, stressed that the partnership must go beyond technology transfer to include collaborative research, capacity building, digital infrastructure development, and governance frameworks that promote ethical, transparent and inclusive AI.
“China is the most progressive and positive partner in this century, the 21st century. There’s no country that has done more for us than China,” he said.
Ms. Yan Yuqing, Consul General of China in Lagos, said that China was committed to an open, inclusive approach to artificial intelligence development and was ready to deepen cooperation with Nigeria.
She said that Nigeria, alongside South Africa, Kenya and Egypt, has emerged as a key engine for AI development in Africa due to its strength in policy, digital infrastructure and technical capacity.
“Nigeria is leading the way. As 20 African countries roll out their national AI strategies, we are pleased to see countries including Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Egypt emerging as key engines for AI development in Africa,” she said.
The envoy announced that China would provide 5,000 opportunities in AI training and seminar programmes for developing countries in the next five years, with Nigeria set to benefit significantly.
She added that China will also establish AI application cooperation centres with the African Union and other regional blocs to share experience in smart agriculture, healthcare, education and other sectors where AI is already being deployed across the continent.
The Consul General also said China would enable more countries to use its AI-powered meteorological forecasting system to safeguard communities, and reiterated Beijing’s commitment to open source collaboration.
Also speaking, Prof Efem Ubi of Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, China, called on the government to take a frontline role in artificial intelligence governance, warning that the country risks being left behind if it continues to operate at the receiving end of global technology.
He stressed that the most practical step for both Nigeria and China was cooperation and partnership that guarantees inclusivity and ownership.
“The most important practical step is about cooperation and partnership. You know, Africa has always been at the receiving end and we don’t want to remain at the receiving end. We want to also be part and parcel of the end.
“What we need is inclusivity and ownership. Inclusivity means we have to be carried along. So, as China is moving, Africa must always move along with China.
“Ownership is that technology shouldn’t just be determined by the developer; we should also be carried along. We should be part and parcel of the development of that technology,” he stated.
He added that issues of heritage, copyright and citizenship must also be addressed for Africa to have a real stake in the AI future.
“That makes us have the ownership. If you look at what I was going to talk about, the issues of heritage, copyright, and citizenship and all that. These are all the things that we really need to be part and parcel of that future.”
The don painted a picture of an AI-driven world already in motion, citing his experience in Chinese factories and restaurants where robots now handle most tasks.
“The Internet of Things has taken over. It’s what is governing the world right now. All your gadgets, even the cars, even some of your, for instance, the vacuum cleaners are all AI models,” he said.
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