ABUJA: The Federal Government through the minister of Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani has signed an agreement with the Gates foundation on the establish of AI Scale Up Nigeria program backed by $7.5 million USD in funding and expertise from the Foundation.
This took place as the minister played host to the Gates Foundation led by The CEO, Bill Gates in his office in Abuja on Tuesday, 3rd of June, 2025.
The Feat was part of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration to ensure that Nigerians fully tapped into various potentials in Artificial Intelligence and other benefits inherent in ICT .
According to the minister, the initiative will no doubt strengthen the two pillars critical to Nigeria’s future which are connectivity and artificial intelligence.
While expressing his appreciation to the Gates foundation delegation which included Paulin Basinga, Uche Ofodile, among other incredible members of the team , he noted that the collaboration will place Nigeria on a pedestal to lead not just in adopting technology, but in shaping it to solve real problems.
‘This initiative will help accelerate the application of AI in healthcare, agriculture, and education — areas where impact matters most to everyday Nigerians”.
Honourable Bosun recalled his previous interface with Bill Gates. “just a few weeks before I was appointed Minister, I had the privilege of moderating a powerful conversation with Bill Gates and young African innovators. AI featured strongly that day — alongside a clear call to strengthen the innovation ecosystem to unlock Africa’s full potential” .
