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Olugbemi. Adeyinka Ogunleye
1 week ago
Overview
Chaste Inegbedion: Nigeria’s Digital Ambitions Need Synergy, Not Just Speed
As the world pivots toward a tech-driven economy, Nigeria is not standing still. From Pan-African AI leadership in Lagos to international strategic alignments in San Francisco and Paris, we’re carving out a visible presence. But the real test lies not in appearances but in alignment. And not just among politicians and VCs, but across policy, platforms, people and purpose.
At the 2024 Pan-African AI Conference, Nigeria boasted of aiming to lead the continent’s digital future. Co-hosted with the United States, the conference brought together thought leaders from across Africa to discuss AI’s promise and peril. Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Bosun Tijani, said: “For us to truly harness artificial intelligence to our collective benefit, we must be deliberate and collaborative in our approach.”
That same week, in Paris, President Bola Tinubu met with Google CEO Sundar Pichai, affirming Nigeria’s intent to leverage AI and digital tools for public service reform, economic diversification and global inclusion. These are the right moves, but without executive coherence, they remain paper castles.
On the trade front, Tony Elumelu’s collaboration with the Federal Government to build the Africa Trade Centre is another breakthrough. The vision: a Pan-African marketplace where capital, talent and ideas flow. Yet again, we must ask how we are building bridges between these initiatives and Nigeria’s startup ecosystem.
We can start from passport controls and international treaties.
A Digital Nigerian Embassy, a new model of diplomatic engagement, is needed. We need a globally consistent digital service centre where Nigerian citizens, startups, and diaspora communities can: Apply for passports and visas with biometric interoperability, access authenticated digital IDs that harmonise NIN, BVN, NHIS, and INEC records, launch or scale businesses with remote legal incorporation and IP protection.
Right now, we celebrate Nigerian digital talent abroad, but our systems at home still delay, duplicate and deny basic services.
More: https://www.bellanaija.com/2025/06/chaste-inegbedion-nigerias-digital-ambitions-need-synergy/
