The Federal Government has proposed pooling artificial intelligence computing capacity with other African countries to help overcome infrastructure constraints and support the development of large-scale AI systems.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Bosun Tijani said Nigeria could connect its graphics processing infrastructure with resources in countries such as Rwanda, Senegal and Kenya, allowing researchers and developers to aggregate computing power.
Tijani, represented by National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Director Olubunmi Ajala, spoke at the Build 2026 Conference in Abuja.
He identified electricity, broadband connectivity, cloud infrastructure and access to advanced computer chips as major barriers to Nigeria’s AI ambitions.
The minister said a regional approach could reduce the cost of building expensive computing infrastructure independently while strengthening African cooperation in model development and deployment.
He also referred to a proposed Nigeria-Togo data park project and ongoing efforts to expand broadband connectivity, noting that millions of Nigerians still lacked reliable internet access.
Luminate Chief Executive Melanie Hui warned that Nigeria’s dependence on foreign cloud infrastructure was costing the country an estimated $850 million annually, according to research commissioned by the organization.
She said control over computing infrastructure, data centers, electricity, chips and skilled labour would increasingly shape economic and political power in the global AI economy.
Other speakers called for stronger local skills development, ethical safeguards, and practical applications of AI in sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, security and information verification.
