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Minister announces groundbreaking partnerships with Cisco, others

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The Minister for Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani has announced strategic partnerships with Cisco, 21st Century Technologies like Awarri and DataDotOrg.

Tijani made the announcements while speaking at a dinner to mark the end of a four-day National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (NAIS) Workshop in Abuja.

The workshop was themed: “Developing the High-Level Strategy and Implementation Plan for a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy for Nigeria”.

He informed that the partnerships would drive technological innovation and boost Nigeria’s digital Economy.

Tijani said that the workshop was to formulate a strategy focused on addressing the needs of Nigerian citizens and communities.

He noted the increased attention on AI across the world and growth in investments in the technology in Nigeria saying: “Over one Petabyte of storage is already being allocated to AI projects in Nigeria by Galaxy Backbone Limited.

“The Pilot Compute Programme that we are undertaking, which is seeing 21st Century Technologies invest over 2 million dollars in Graphics Processing Unit (GPU).

“It is also going to put us in a position to start building and narrating the story for why we need to invest in our computing power as a nation.

“We all know that the strength of a network is determined by the value that each node on the network brings to it.

“If our world is truly connected, you are not helping Africa or Nigeria by ensuring that we can come to the table and participate.

“By partnering with us, you are only ensuring that our world is stronger because we have something significant to contribute to the network.”

The minister outlined a number of strategic partnerships and projects facilitated by the Ministry to fast-track Nigeria’s growth in the field of AI.

He listed them to include the National Centre for Al and Robotics (NCAIR) relaunch, Nigerian multilingual large language model, Nigeria’s computing infrastructure pilot and the AI collective, accordingly.

Tijani explained that the NCAIR relaunch of new and improved capacity was to better fulfill its mandate.

“The Centre is a special purpose vehicle created to promote research and development on emerging technologies and their practical application in the areas of Nigerian national interest.

“As a digital innovation and research facility, NCAIR focuses on Al, Robotics and Drones, Internet of Things (loT), and other emerging technologies, aimed at transforming the Nigerian digital economy.

“The capacity building imperative is undertaken with support from global technology company, Cisco.

”For the Nigerian multilingual large language model, Tijani said it aimed to build the most robust Nigerian large language model,” Tijani said.

He said in order to achieve this, the project would leverage the support of the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme Fellows to collate high quality Nigerian language data and fuel the development of some of the most sophisticated AI models.

Tijani explained, “The project is developed by Awarri in partnership with NITDA and DataDotOrg.”

He explained that Nigeria’s computing infrastructure pilot would accelerate the development of Al projects of national interest.

According to him, Galaxy Backbone Limited will partner 21st Century Technologies to develop Nigeria’s national computer project.

“The Compute will be available to local researchers, startups, government entities working on critical Al projects that are of national interest.

“It will reside at the Galaxy Backbone Data Centre and be accessible through NCAIR,” the minister added.

Tijani said,”The AI Collective is a community of practice collaborating towards accelerating the nation’s collective prosperity through an inclusive Al Ecosystem.

“The collective will harness the power of Al to drive economic prosperity, accelerate innovation and social development, and position Nigeria as a leading force in AI for good globally.”

The minister expressed appreciation to all the stakeholders for making the workshop possible, while stating the benefits of adopting cutting-edge technologies.

They include Artificial Intelligence (AI) in raising the productivity of users for our collective prosperity.

The workshop was supported by local and international organisations such asq Luminate, Google, Meta, Microsoft, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), National Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR).

Others include Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Galaxy Backbone Limited, and Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF).

Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to computer systems capable of performing complex tasks that historically only a human could do, such as reasoning, making decisions, or solving problems.

Infotech

May Day: Glo salutes Nigerian workers

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Digital telecommuni cations solutions provider, Globacom, has saluted Nigerian workers as the country observes this year’s edition of the International Workers’ Day. The company enjoined them to rededicate themselves to excellence so as to take Nigeria to the next level.

In a solidarity message released on Tuesday, Globacom lauded the resilient spirit of workers in spite of present challenges. It urged them to use the opportunity of the Workers’ Day to reflect on how their contributions can build a better and more vibrant society.

“We salute Nigerian workers on this day and commend them for the hard work, commitment, resourcefulness and industry which are essential for the growth of the economy of any nation,” Globacom said, and urged them not to rest on their oars.

The company noted that the story of Nigeria cannot be complete without the huge contributions of workers, both in the public and private sectors.

The International Labour Day is observed annually on May 1 to recognise the contributions of workers all over the world. It is also used to promote a fairer and more sustainable future for all by advocating for workers’ rights.

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Abaranje fire: Company sues for calm, assures victims of healthcare support

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By our reporter

Carville Integrated Ventures Limited, a leading telecoms facility management services provider, has appealed for calm following the recent fire incident at Abaranje Base Station.

The company manages base stations on behalf of Airtel Nigeria.

In a statement, the Management of Carville noted that the incident occurred during maintenance operations on a leaking part of a diesel tank, resulting in injuries to some individuals from the local community who forcefully gained unauthorised access into the facility hosting the base station during the maintenance work.

The company however sympathised with the victims while promising to provide healthcare support to them.

“The management of Carville Integrated Ventures, extends her condolences to the affected individuals and their families, stating, ‘Our hearts go out to those injured in the unfortunate incident. We are committed to providing support and assistance during their recovery process.’

“We stand by our commitment to the communities we serve, and we will continue to prioritize their welfare in all our operations.”

“Furthermore, Carville appeals to community leaders and members to cooperate with the company in implementing safety measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.”

“Safety is our top priority,” the management affirmed. “We urge everyone to adhere to safety protocols and guidelines to ensure the well-being of all.”

“Carville is working closely with local authorities and regulatory bodies to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and implement necessary measures to prevent recurrence,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, Airtel Nigeria has also in a statement sympathised with the victims of the fire incident.

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Infotech

Digital identity: FG, Bill Gates partner to harmonise database

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By our reporter

The Federal Government and Microsoft Founder and Philanthropist, Mr. Bill Gates are in talks to develop a system that will help Nigeria harmonise her identity system database.

The Microsoft Founder made this known when he met with President Tinubu on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Special Meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday.

According to Gates, “We are working with Mr. Wale Edun, the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, on digitisation. Before you came into office, there were a few things attempted in identity management. But they have been very scattered. There have been multiple identification systems.

“Now, there is a plan to take that technology called MOSIP and use it for this identification platform so that people can get digital benefits. We are providing support for that, and we can provide more support.

“With MOSIP ID, there is potential application in all government payment programmes. It helps with payment efficiency and bank accounts, and eventually, when everyone is using that, it makes tax collection easier. That benefit will take a few years. However, there will be more bank accounts, more financial inclusion, and effective government payment programmes,” the Former Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft said.

Mr. Gates said Nigeria has the capacity to manage this system and related-technological systems as the nation brims with talented youths.

“The last time I went to the Microsoft office in Lagos, I saw the amazing work that they were doing and how they were growing their operations. So, you have a lot of Nigerian talents to manage these systems,” he said.

Responding, President Tinubu noted that his administration is investing in technology that is tailored towards ensuring transparency and accountability in government and accelerating public-sector performance and service delivery to the Nigerian people.

Emphasising his unwavering commitment to deliver reliable technology that will support a national consumer credit system and many other critical new government interventions for all Nigerians, the President said resistance is often expected when efforts are made to strengthen systems and forestall malfeasance.

“Technology is the enemy of fraud, corruption, and irregularity. We have been working hard on improving technology.”

“There is always the initial resistance. Corruption, self-interest, and fraudulent activity will always be an enemy, but when you bend that curve, you will receive the benefit. The nation will receive the benefit,” the President said.

The President also stated that he is proud of Nigeria’s youths noting that they encourage him to continue to press his reform efforts forward for their future prosperity.

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