(DDM) – The Federal Government of Nigeria has launched a landmark Artificial Intelligence (AI) training programme for civil servants in partnership with Google, marking a major step toward modernizing governance and boosting digital efficiency across the public sector.
Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) reports that the initiative, spearheaded by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, aims to equip government workers with the skills required to adopt and apply AI in their daily operations.
Speaking at the virtual launch, Minister Dr. Bosun Tijani said the training aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of building a $1 trillion economy, ensuring Nigeria remains competitive in the global race for AI-driven transformation.
Tijani emphasized that AI has become central to improving productivity across key sectors such as agriculture, education, healthcare, and security, and that the government is determined not to lag behind in this technological evolution.
He highlighted several efforts already underway, including the creation of a national AI strategy, the establishment of a National AI Trust, and the rollout of an AI Collective with a government-backed multilingual large language model designed for African contexts.
However, Tijani cautioned that these initiatives would remain ineffective unless public servants were fully empowered to integrate AI tools into their workflows.
He said the newly introduced e-political government AI campus would help achieve that goal, noting that the administration is investing in ensuring civil servants become “AI-native” in their daily tasks.
According to him, the adoption of AI will help accelerate bureaucratic processes, reduce administrative bottlenecks, and improve the quality of service delivery to citizens.
Google’s Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy for West Africa, Adewolu Adene, explained that the training would be conducted in three phases, beginning with senior decision-makers who will learn to understand and champion AI adoption.
The second phase, he said, will target middle-level executives, focusing on how to strategically apply AI tools in daily government operations, while the final phase will involve mass training for civil servants across all departments.
Adene described the programme as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to transition Nigeria’s public sector from digital governance to intelligent governance, capable of responding faster and more efficiently to public needs.
Citing global studies, he revealed that AI could deliver up to $1.75 trillion in annual productivity gains for the public sector worldwide by 2033.
Google’s Director for West Africa, Olumide Balogun, reiterated that empowering the public workforce was key to driving digital transformation, stressing that “AI is not just about technology, but about people.”
He said Google’s partnership with the Nigerian government was rooted in its long-term investment in digital skills development, infrastructure projects such as the Equiano subsea cable, and support for startups through innovation hubs and funding programmes.
Similarly, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s Communications Manager for West Africa, said the AI Campus would serve as a structured learning environment where civil servants could gain practical experience using AI to improve healthcare, education, and social services.
Vice President of Apolitical, Chris Ferguson, added that structured training is the foundation of successful AI adoption in government, noting that the programme would equip civil servants to lead the digital revolution with confidence and foresight.
The launch follows a series of AI-focused initiatives by the Federal Government. In October 2024, Nigeria secured a ₦2.8 billion grant from Google to support AI talent development, aimed at closing the nation’s digital skill gap.
By November 2024, Google further deepened its collaboration with Nigeria to harness AI as a tool for economic growth, positioning the country as a continental leader in AI innovation and digital transformation.
Experts believe this partnership represents a turning point for Nigeria’s civil service, which has long struggled with inefficiency and outdated systems.
If successfully implemented, analysts say, the AI training initiative could help the government reduce corruption, enhance transparency, and improve public sector productivity, ushering in a new era of intelligent governance in Africa’s mostpopulous nation.