By Plans to make Artificial Intelligence a general study course for all undergraduate students in Nigerian Universities is gathering momentum following recent meeting between the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and a team from the Yakubu Gowon University (UniAbuja).
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Hakeem Fawehinmi, of Yakubu Gowon University (UniAbuja), to the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, the latter mulled the idea of working with stakeholders to explore ways of introducing AI across the board as a general study course in tertiary institutions.
According to Inuwa, elements of AI should be included in every field of study to equip our students with the hands-on skills for navigating the real world.
He disclosed that the agency is currently in partnership with education sector institutions including the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and the National Commission for Colleges of Education.
He reiterated NITDA’s ongoing efforts to incorporate digital literacy programmes into the curriculum across all levels of education to enhance graduates’ readiness to fit into industry.
Inuwa noted NITDA’s commitment to advancing integrated research across Nigerian universities to develop technology-driven solutions that solve real-life local problems across various sectors.
The NITDA stated that NITDA is ready to partner with the Yakubu Gowon University (UniAbuja) and other tertiary institutions, noting that such partnerships are critical to nurturing innovation ecosystems, equipping citizens with practical skills, and positioning Nigeria as a hub for technology-driven development.
“We need to invest more in in-depth research with universities to build a robust research ecosystem that will help us develop solutions. Research will focus on harnessing AI, IoT, blockchain, cybersecurity, and Cloud technology, among other emerging technologies, to improve our lives and grow our digital economy.
Earlier, the UniAbuja Vice Chancellor, Fawehinmi, explained that the purpose of their visit was to seek NITDA’s partnership and support to improve digital infrastructure for educational training within the institution.
He expressed gratitude for NITDA’s contributions to the Digital Geoscience Centre.
He assured that the institution is eager to partner with NITDA in joint research projects, capacity-building initiatives, and innovation programmes that align with NITDA’s vision of leveraging technology to drive socio-economic growth.
“We could go into partnership with you to provide data, collaborative engagements, staff exchanges, joint research hubs, so that we can produce high-level human resources. The university is committed to serving as a strategic academic partner to NITDA by providing academic expertise required to advance your national digital transformation initiatives,” Fawehinmi promised.
