Stakeholders Demand Greater Investment in Local Talent, Intelligence to Drive Nigeria’s AI Revolution

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Stakeholders in Nigeria’s technology sector have called for accelerated investment in local talent, intelligence and innovation as the country seeks to harness artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing for economic growth and reduce dependence on imported technologies.

The stakeholders made the call at the Huawei Nigeria AI and Cloud Summit 2026 in Lagos, where industry leaders, government representatives and technology experts examined strategies for positioning Nigeria as a major player in Africa’s emerging AI economy.

The summit, held on August 27 under the theme, “Built Local, Built Intelligent,” focused on the need to develop home-grown technological solutions capable of addressing Nigeria’s distinctive economic and social challenges.

Representing the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Tax and Revenue, Mr. Abdulkabir Opeyemi, said Nigeria could no longer afford to remain primarily a consumer of technology as AI and cloud computing rapidly reshape economies worldwide.

Hamzat argued that the country’s technological transformation must be anchored on locally developed solutions, stronger domestic expertise and greater ownership of digital infrastructure.

“Innovation that is merely imported is temporary. Innovation built locally, with local capacity and local ownership, is what endures and multiplies,” he said.

He, however, stressed that promoting local technology should not translate into isolation from the global ecosystem, but rather enable Nigeria to engage international partners from a position of greater capacity and strategic advantage.

“Building local intelligence does not mean building in isolation. It means building with the right global partners, on our own terms, and for our own benefit,” he added.

According to him, AI and cloud technologies have moved beyond being emerging concepts to becoming practical tools with the potential to transform critical sectors, including healthcare, agriculture, public administration and national security.

He also identified the technologies as potential catalysts for job creation, particularly for Nigeria’s large youth population.

Speaking on “Advancing Nigeria’s AI Future Together,” the Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Nigeria, Austin You, said the company’s 27-year presence in Nigeria had been focused on supporting the country’s digital transformation through telecommunications, data centres, renewable energy, skills development and cloud services.

You said Huawei had trained more than 100,000 Nigerians and established over 250 ICT academies as part of efforts to expand the country’s technology talent pool.

He said Nigeria’s large population, expanding market, digital infrastructure and human capital gave it the ingredients required to emerge as a leading force in Africa’s AI ecosystem.

“By integrating Nigeria’s population, market size, digital infrastructure, and talent, the nation is uniquely positioned to lead Africa’s AI era,” he said.

A major highlight of the summit was the unveiling of the Huawei Nigeria Agentic Cloud by the Managing Director of Huawei Cloud Nigeria, Roc Bai.

Bai said the platform was designed to support Nigeria’s growing demand for AI and cloud services while aligning with the country’s digital sovereignty, data protection and compliance requirements.

He explained that data residency was becoming increasingly important as organisations deployed AI and cloud technologies, stressing the need for sensitive data to be hosted, processed and governed within Nigeria.

He identified three key pillars of Huawei Cloud’s strategy in Nigeria as AI democratisation, data localisation, and trust and security.

According to him, the approach is aimed at providing the technological foundation needed to expand access to AI while strengthening confidence in the security and governance of digital infrastructure.

The summit also featured demonstrations of AI-native solutions and technologies in big data analytics, artificial intelligence and AI agents, highlighting the growing role of intelligent technologies in reshaping businesses and public services.

The discussions reinforced a central message: Nigeria’s ability to compete in the emerging AI-driven global economy will depend not only on access to advanced technologies, but also on its capacity to develop, own and deploy the talent, intelligence and infrastructure required to create solutions locally.