A few decades ago, Africa missed the Industrial Revolution train.
Today, standing at the dawn of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) era, the continent has another chance to lead, not follow.
But according to Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), that will only happen if Africa learns one critical lesson from history: innovation without collaboration won’t go far.
Speaking at the Hyperscalers Convergence Africa 2025 in Lagos, themed “Fostering a Digital Africa: Connectivities, Convergence and Innovation,” Inuwa’s message was simple but urgent: Africa must build together, think local, and act global.
Africa’s Hidden Advantage: Its Youth
Inuwa’s optimism begins with Africa’s people, especially its young ones.
He described them as energetic, curious, and eager to learn. And with over 60% of the population under 25, that’s not just potential, it’s power.
But power without direction can quickly turn into frustration.
“If we don’t equip our youth with the right digital skills,” he said, “our biggest advantage could become our biggest challenge.”
That understanding inspired the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, Nigeria’s largest human capacity and digital transformation initiative.
The goal is simple: train millions of young people in the skills that power today’s world such as AI, data science, cloud computing, and cybersecurity, and give them the tools to turn creativity into contribution.
Infrastructure that Connects, Not Divides
Skills alone aren’t enough. Africa also needs digital infrastructure that works: reliable internet, secure data systems, and accessible platforms that connect people, businesses, and governments.
Inuwa revealed that under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria is introducing new public-private funding mechanisms to build this foundation.
Through the PPP Policy on Mediation and the Project Bridge initiative, the government is working with private players and development partners to speed up digital access across the country.
He also mentioned Nigeria’s push to establish a strong Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) system that links identity, payments, and data in one unified framework.
This, he said, will become the digital soil on which African innovators can build AI-powered solutions that truly work for Africans.
AI for Africa, Not Just in Africa
When it comes to Artificial Intelligence, Inuwa was clear: Africa cannot afford to be a passive consumer.
“AI systems must be built on African data and shaped by African realities,” he said. “If we rely solely on foreign models, we’ll end up with technologies that don’t understand our people, our languages, or our needs.”
He drew a sharp comparison to the Industrial Revolution, when Africa supplied the raw materials that powered other economies but gained little technological benefit.
“This time,” he said, “we must export innovation, not just resources.”
Dream Big, Build Small
In another session titled “Shaping Africa’s Digital Future: Policy and Regulatory Frameworks for Accelerated Growth,” Inuwa shared a practical philosophy for transformation: dream big, but build small.
He explained that Africa’s progress won’t come from grand projects that remain on paper but from simple, scalable solutions that solve real problems.
“The app you build to solve a problem in your village,” he said, “can grow to serve your state, your country, the continent, and even the world. That’s how Facebook started.”
For Inuwa, technology isn’t about borders or hierarchies. It’s about ecosystems that connect and empower people.
“No one can succeed in isolation,” he said. “Technology connects and transforms.”
A New Kind of Policymaking
But collaboration doesn’t stop with innovators; it begins with government.
Inuwa believes African countries must reinvent their social contracts by making policymaking inclusive, data-driven, and grounded in reality.
“Policies fail when they’re written in air-conditioned offices,” he said. “Real policies are built through conversations with the people who live by them.”
At NITDA, this thinking led to the Intelligent Regulatory Framework, a system that ensures every new regulation is informed by data, co-created with stakeholders, and flexible enough to adapt as technology evolves.
He pointed to Nigeria’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy as proof. It wasn’t written by a few experts; it was co-designed by Nigerians from academia, civil society, and the private sector, all working together to shape a shared digital future.
Africa’s Next Big Leap
At the heart of Inuwa’s message is both a challenge and a promise.
The challenge: Africa must stop waiting for permission to innovate.
The promise is if we build together with inclusion, integrity, and imagination, we can shape an AI-powered Africa that reflects our stories, our strengths, and our spirit.
Because in this new digital age, collaboration isn’t just a strategy, it’s survival.
