FG, Meta plan AI academy to boost Nigeria’s tech talent

The Federal Government in Nigeria has announced a collaborative effort with Meta, the parent company of Facebook, and Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Nigeria (RAIN) to establish an Artificial Intelligence Academy. This initiative aims to bolster Nigeria's AI talent pool and bolster the country's technology sector. The academy will offer comprehensive training, technical assistance, and opportunities to develop and commercialize AI-powered solutions.

Comprising three components - AI skills development, a startup pitchathon, and a six-week developer bootcamp - the programme will cover essential AI areas such as generative AI, prompt engineering, multimodal AI, data analytics, and the utilization of Meta's Llama models. The academy, accessible through platforms like Coursera, DeepLearning.AI, and DataCamp, is free for participants and offers scholarships to the top 100 performers for Meta Blueprint certifications and advertising credits.

Selected startups will pitch at GITEX Nigeria and have the chance to represent Nigeria at Meta's AI Summit in Istanbul, Turkey. This partnership, led by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, and the Head of Public Policy at Meta, Africa, underscores the commitment to enhancing Nigeria's AI ecosystem through public-private collaborations, reinforcing the nation's position in Africa's digital economy.