Electricity, internet pose challenges to AI infrastructure – FG

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr  Bosun Tijani, has stated that the low power supply and slow internet connectivity still pose a challenge for Nigeria to achieve its aim in Artificial intelligence.

Speaking during the maiden Africa’s AI infrastructure conference, termed Build 2026, Bosun said access to updated chips and cloud also remain a major bottleneck to its AI strategy.

The conference is organised by AI Collective, a coalition of Lagos Business School (LBS), Pan-Atlantic University –Data Science Nigeria (DSN), Centre for Journalism, Innovation and Development (CJID) and National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), an agency of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE)). The Collective is led by the Policy Innovation Centre (PIC).

The Minister who was represented by the National Director, National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) Dr Olubunmi Ajala, im every three or six months, NVIDIA is bringing out different kinds of chips and any time Nigeria decides to get it, it is behind.

“If you talk about the supply, the hyper-scalers have placed orders that two years that even the chips makers may not be able to meet. But when you look at all of them, there is one part where the challenge remains and that is the infrastructure.”

He however said to bridge the gap on electricity,  the government is proposing setting up a data centre close to Egbin Power Station in Lagos.

 “We are going to build a data park in Egbin, where you can still get about 60% unutilized capacity of power to generate or to support it. But we are not only building for Nigeria, we are building for Africa. It’s going to be Nigeria and Togo across West Africa, where that is going to work.”

The CEO of Luminate, Melanie Hui, said Africa’s population is young and growing and its markets, languages, cultures and social realities will be enormously valuable to the development of future AI systems.

She however said people and communities must not be treated as reservoirs of data from which others fashion their products, profits and ideas.

“Data is the new oil” is a fair but tired claim. Data is much more than this. It is people’s identities, behaviours, relationships and lives. We must ground its use in dignity, consent, safety and the public good.

She added that equitable ownership also means that Africans can build technologies reflecting African languages and contexts.

On her part, the Executive Director, Policy Innovation Centre, Dr Osasuyi Dirisu, said Build 2026 is convened at a critical moment to advance three strategic priorities – Infrastructure, Economics, and Digital Sovereignty – that will shape Africa’s AI future and determine the continent’s position in the global AI ecosystem.

“Build 2026 provides a multi-stakeholder platform to advance African priorities in global AI governance and foster partnerships that support an inclusive and competitive AI ecosystem across the continent.”