The Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), Dr. Armstrong Takang, has urged Nigeria and other African countries to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in resolving Africa’s peculiar problems.
Takang made the call on Tuesday, in Abuja at the 13th edition of the Digital Africa conference on data sovereignty, with the theme, “Sovereign Intelligence: Africa’s Voice in Global AI Order.”
While advising that focus must be on using AI to solve their own peculiar African problems rather than wait for others to solve them, he noted that what interests Africans may not be of interest to outsiders.
“They focus on solutions and algorithms for problems that affect them the most. They won’t come and solve your problem. We have to solve our problems.
“We have to come up with solutions that reflect our own cultural values. Our dialects, the multiplicity of our dialects, must be reflected. Our food, our taste buds are different.
“What excites us is different from what excites them. So in this arena of AI, we need to begin to come up with solutions that reflect our own peculiarities because nobody else will do it for us. And even if they want to do it, they will do it when we show leadership,” he said.
On data sovereignty, he said, ‘I remember about 15 years ago, we had spearheaded an initiative for data sovereignty for local content. And we insisted through a policy that data that government generates, stores about its citizens and its transactions must reside in Nigeria.
“But then, most of the multinationals already had a 10, 15-year, 20-year plan that they were going to harvest our data and store it in data centres in Europe and in the US.” he said.
In his address, the Chairman, Digital Africa, Dr. Evans Woherem, said the era of others making digital decisions for Africa must change.
“Africa has been a consumer of technology designed and controlled elsewhere. Our data is stored and used by others. our languages and cultures are from the global tables where decisions are made. This needs to change,” he added.
He further stated that, “Sovereign Intelligence” was not just a theme, but a call to action.
“It’s about Africa taking and ensuring that technology works for us, not just for others. rules. control of its digital future.”
CEO, CDT Communicatios Ltd, Abiodun Omoniyi, in his address, said the conference was a movement, shaping Africa’s voice in the global digital conversation.
“In today’s interconnected world, sovereignty is no longer just about physical borders. Its about control; control of our data, our digital infrastructure, and our innovation pathways.
“True independence now depends on how we harness technology to empower our people and drive inclusive growth,” he added.
Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole
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