NITDA CALLS FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO NATIONAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE POLICY

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), on Thursday called on stakeholders, Information Technologists, experts, and Digital innovators including the general public to contribute to the National Artificial Intelligence policy of the government.

This follows the directives of the Honourable Minister for Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, towards assisting the NITDA to develop a National Artificial Intelligence Policy, NAIP.

In a statement by the Head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations of NITDA, Mrs. Hadiza Umar, said on Thursday, that the public are geared up to participate in the development of the National Artificial Intelligence Policy.

According to her, Artificial Intelligence (AI) growth could be attributed to Digital Innovation and the evolution of technology.

“Globally, countries are grappling with ways to manage the exponential growth of new and emerging technologies to advance their economies,” the statement said.

According to the statement, in cognizance of the exponential growth and potential value of digital technologies, tailored in line with the vision of President Muhammad Buhari, to diversify the Nigerian Economy, it’s needful to utilise digital technologies.

She added that the President launched the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), which was developed by the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy (FMoCDE), to reposition Nigeria’s Economy and leverage the many opportunities provided by these digital technologies.

“The development of the NAIP is envisaged to maximise the benefits, mitigate possible risks, and address some of the complexities attributed to using AI in our daily activities.

“Furthermore, it will provide directions on how Nigeria can take advantage of AI, including the development, use, and adoption of AI to proactively facilitate the development of Nigeria into a sustainable digital economy.

“NITDA is responsible for developing standards, guidelines, and frameworks for the IT sector in Nigeria, as enshrined in Section 6 of the NITDA Act 2007. The Agency invites the public to contribute and participate in developing NAIP.

She asked the public and interested participants to use the provided official link to participate by providing input or contributing to the Policy’s development as experts.