Nigeria Moves to Develop Policy Framework for AI Adoption in Higher Education

Artificial Intelligence (AI) may be coasting towards a new height in Nigeria as authorities in the country are now working with local and international stakeholders to work out a roadmap for its development and deployment in higher institutions.

This is as Nigeria aspires to rank among top 50 countries leading globally in AI readiness and adoption across various metrics such as computing power, skills, data availability, ethics and governance by 2030, while also creating over 50,000 jobs in Nigeria’s AI industry by the same year.

Prof. Kabiru Bala, Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria

The latest efforts of the country towards these lofty ambitions was played up at a one day National Dialogue on Consensus Framework towards a Policy/Guidelines Roadmap for Nigeria Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, held recently in Abuja.

Prof. Olufemi Peters, Vice Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria

The event was organised by the Nigerian National Centre of International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) domiciled at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU).

Experts who championed dialogue at the summit explored the ethical, regulatory and technical sides of AI adoption in the higher educational system.

Prof. Liang Jiansheng, Executive Deputy Director of UNESCO-ICHEI

They described the fair and responsible use of AI in higher education as a shared responsibility, while also apportioning roles to stakeholders including regulators to create robust blueprint for its effective uptake.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy (FMCIDE), Dr. Bosun Tijani, said it is pivotal in the nation’s journey to key into the rapid advancement in AI, particularly, generative AI.

Minister of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy (FMCIDE), Dr. Bosun Tijani

He said: “Without underplaying the concern of the likely effect of AI on academic integrity or the ethical use of AI in higher institution, the massive opportunities it brings to overcome some of the traditional educational constraints to the ability to develop personalised learning within minutes are some of the testimonies to the transformative capacity of the technology to our higher education.

“… Nigeria, with its vibrant youth population of about 60% below age 30 and innovative spirit, is uniquely positioned to harness the power of AI to transform our higher education landscape and drive sustainable development.”

The minister was optimistic that the AI framework to be developed at the programme would aid higher education institutions and empower policymakers, educators, learners, and researchers to use AI as a tool in teaching, learning, and research.

“This is not about adopting a new technology; it’s about reimagining Nigerian education for the 21st century and beyond,” he said.

In his remarks, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, who delivered a paper on: ‘Quadruple Helix Model in Ensuring Fair and Responsible Use of AI in Higher Education: A Regulator’s Perspective’, stressed the benefits of the consensus framework.

Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida

According to him, the model brings together government, academia, industry, and the community and provides a comprehensive framework for ensuring the fair and responsible use of AI in higher education.

The NCC boss noted that this collaborative approach is essential for harnessing the full potential of AI while addressing the ethical, social, and economic challenges it presents.

He said: “This framework will provide comprehensive guidelines for AI integration, addressing issues such as data privacy, algorithmic fairness, and the digital divide. It will also promote the use of open-source solutions and data practices, ensuring that AI technologies are accessible to all.

He said the government, academia, industry, and community have to work together to develop AI-driven educational tools and platforms to achieve similar results as in China, the United State of America (USA), Finland and Kenya.

He further restated NCC’s commitment to supporting the initiative and working collaboratively with all stakeholders to ensure the success of AI integration in Nigerian higher education.

“We hope that these efforts will also contribute significantly to Nigeria’s efforts on developing the AI Strategy, positioning our nation at the forefront of global AI innovation and education,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Engineer Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, emphasised the milestones achieved by the country to produce the current Draft National AI Strategy document, showing the commitment of the country to be among leaders in AI adoption.

Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Engineer Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi

According to him, “Nigeria adopted a methodology that should make all of us proud. We brought together individuals with over 300,000 citations in various areas of academic research.

“We went through almost all AI research publications in the last 10 years; extracted the authors’ names; built an ML model to identify those who are Nigerians. We first came up with the top 400 Nigerians in the field and then built another model to rank publications to select the top 100.

“Then, we brought in other stakeholders including tech companies, government agencies, and civil service organisations, amongst others. We then had an intensive 4-day workshop to come up with the draft, and now, the process continues with authentication, stakeholder feedback, and public engagements.”

For Nigeria to make a headway in its AI journey, the NITDA DG recognized the universities as the breeding grounds for innovation and the future workforce.

To this realisation, he said, “we need to think of ways we can better align our higher education AI research with national development; what policies we can implement to foster more industry-academia collaborations in AI; how to ensure that AI education in our universities is inclusive and accessible to all; and what ethical frameworks should guide our AI research and development efforts.”

Earlier in her welcome address, the Director, University Education Department of the ABU, Mrs. R.G. Ilyasu, said Nigeria is presented with a unique opportunity to shape its educational system for generation to come.

“This Policy/Guideline developed in partnership with UNESCO seek to bridge the gap in and examine the potential benefit of incorporating AI technologies in teaching and learning and research, as well as to improve innovation, global competitiveness and preparedness for the future.”

The event, moderated by Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, Head of Media Relations Unit at NCC, was a gathering of diverse minds from academia, government, industry, and civil society committed to shaping the future of higher education in Nigeria.

Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, Event Host

Its objective was to examine the potential benefits of incorporating AI technologies in teaching, learning and research to improve innovation, global competitiveness and preparedness for future workplace; and to identify challenges related to the responsible, ethical and safe use of AI and cybersecurity concerns within the higher education landscape.

Other objectives of the event include to drive collaboration among academia, industry and government to ensure a holistic approach to integration of AI in higher education, fostering innovation and knowledge exchange; as well as to discuss and formulate consensus framework towards the development and policy/guidelines for the responsible, ethical and safe use of AI in the higher education sector.