Topic: Nigerian gov supports AI initiatives with $290K in grants (Read 143 times)

Thank you my brother for bringing this Tori to our notice and this na actually good vibe atleast from all the recent downturn wey this administration don dey put through but my only surprised na the money wey dem actually allocated for this project because I know this our Nigeria government and their budgets and this one is just shocking and surprising to see that it's actually a bugdet of just 5 million naira, well if na today market rate the money go actually be to 6.5million naira which is still as a shock to me if anyone can relate to what I mean. Normally I think start project like this the funds for big pass like this but this one way is small maybe the government actually wants to start up the project from a smaller angle to actually measure the progress before dem fit begin the whole mega involvement.

Nigerian government na belle face. Na every trending topic na him dem they like show them selve, dem no get clear cut plans and las las them go just leave everybody guessing why the project no go forward. The reason why dem dey jump into AI, just like every other projects na to use am as an avenue to embezzle public funds. Make we go back to memory lane, Nigeria government pumped plenty money put for e-naira, where the project dey today? Abi na Nigerian developers blockchain scholarship through the office of NITDA?

Dem don see say na Artificial Intelligence na him be the trending topic in the world right now, dem want put head inside and I no mean to sound pessimistic but na the obvious truth be this, e go die natural death just like every other projects. After some months of kickoff nobody go hear about this project again and naso money go don enter thin air.

The funding of this project is so laughable,  what a 5 million naira for start up in this kind of economy,  I thing this guys are far from being serious right now unless they are just acting out a role all to take the money and sharing within themselves,  if not with the amount in the capital that is mentioned,  I don't think this project is close to anything successful.

Although the idea is a great idea and also we have seen that the area of focus also is great too and this if properly implemented will help boost those areas mentioned as areas of focus,  I believe the minister is just out to impress the President y bringing up such developments but then instead of embracing AI development I also think paying more attentions on some other pressing factors and area such as security and health care,  this will help not to get us confuse with this kind of proposal that lack clear intentions and funding.

Why I can easily criticize some of these things and I always doubt the sustainability of some of this projects is because they do not look so realistic to me. Realistic in the sense that you do not expect to benefit AI technologies and projects for a country of over 200 million people with just $290k which is equivalent to around 290 million naira. Now, with that money, how many beneficiaries do they intend to cover. I feel a project grant like this should have a time frame as well as targeted number of participants so they don't get too many people into the program more than they can afford to settle.

I was also expecting that the grants will be categorized into patterns, so that you are able to select which pattern of grant you are best fit into and the amount you are able to get for a start up, vis-a-vis how the government intends to support your business so you can design a more compelling pitch deck or presentation for the program and the problem solving part.

Overall, it's a good start and I will encourage the government to continue with programmes like this, that are focused on assisting tech startups especially the AI as it is gradually becoming the order of the day now. Truth is, the world can be easier than it is now and you don't have to deep-search into your brain now when the information you're searching for is already available somewhere in the internet.

As the government has decided to sponsor AI initiatives with such an amount of $290k in grant, they should put into consideration how to ensure the funds is used as approved for. That is, a monitoring team to ensure that the individual teams given the grant actually use the funds to fulfil the project demands.
My concern is if this initiative is to help the unemployment status or to further find ways to increase the statistics of the unemployed?

We are still waiting for the promised palliative however and can't wait to see how much is the current minimum wage at the end of day even as interest rates has increased by almost 0.5% to 18.5%.

How much them wan use to enhance AI to do our work? All this thing wey Dem dey talk na just promise. Naim be wetting we dey always hear. How many grant wey people don fill form wey Dem no pay up till date. Wetting I dey talk be say the money too small and e no go even buy anything, considering the value of our money. Like wetting you talk say job no dey. them for use am creat employment opportunity.

This would have been a welcomed development if to say we can hold our governments accountable for wetin dem talk with their mouth but we all know this one fit be another avenue to use embezzle public funds. How we go fit verify say the people wey dem go give the money dey actually into the sectors wey dem say dem wan help boost their productivity.  6.4 millions no be small money to use help a start-up wey be say dem dey normally lack funds when dem first launch as to get investors dey hard and if the government really followup this promise e go help alot of starts up wey already dey and people go get interest to launch their own as dem go get funding from the government but how many years this funding go do the startup self?


Them choose better than sectors as using AI in this areas will boost the productivity of the sectors and contribute in the increase of the economy of the country. We just dey waste money for agriculture with the hiring of man power when we can use robots operated by AI that can farm, maintain and harvest our crops for us. Oyinbo wey no get fertile lands reach us dey produce agriculture produces pass us because of the investment wey dem put into their tech and AI for the sector. I'm just hoping this one no go be another promise and failed sometimes wey we dey use to because if them truly come through, e go help farmers to get better results from their agricultural produces them.

Abeg make dem comot mind for that workout area make dem no go cause massively unemployment for the country, we already dey complain say job no dey, government no need to enhance the use of AI to dey do our work for us automatically instead dem need to create more job for the people of the country to work. People's dey to work but job no dey available.

We cannot run away from the truth which is the fact that the people and government cannot do without the use of AI technology to improve the quality of research and innovation of a country, definitely I should expect that the government should encourage for this, we shouldn't see only the negative aspect of it that the people fake things and lie about using AI, we've gotten to an extent whereby the use of AI will contribute more to the advanced development of how we do things in our daily lives more faster and simpler.

I don't see what 5 millions can do to improve our economy that has be collapsed over some years, and any government that will come in,  will like to use some strategies that will make people to believe that government is ready to rescue the economy from the land than to destroy the economy that will make the hardship continue. Well, is a good initiative but that amount of money the minister of communication pronounced from his mouth made me to see the news that will be feed with bribe before such opportunity will be giving to such qualifier, which you know that will have the highest population of graduate in the whole world.

 This nah beta news o but e get e negative side and positive. For the positives; this thing don show say we at least get young minds wey wan include these things into the agricultural, education and the rest of the sectors. And if them fit talk of the positives these things fit bring and we Govt listen, maybe one day too, govt fit listen to a suggestion of using Bitcoin alongside the naira..just my thoughts though. Also, this go create avenue for young start up researchers wey bin no get enough funding to take finish their work.
 For the negatives; to fund such programs no be here and this #5m wey don dey set aside, na how many people e wan reach unto say we be country wey corruption dey disturb well. Another tin be say if all this nah true, wen them finish, e go fit create jobs for the masses or nah AI go take over the small jobs wey some pipo get.

I say make I bring una with this ogbonge news from ou government wey talk say them don introduce Artificial Intelligent research scheme to help spread the use of AI to boost the our economy to the next level. This news na from the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, wey he talk on Friday, Oct.13. He say government don already set aside ($6,444) wey be 5 million naira to artificial intelligence (AI)-focused startups and researchers.

The area wey them dey focus on ma on Agriculture, education and workforce finance, governance, healthcare, utility and sustainability. For you to dey qualify fot this grant, you must form an association to engage in a joint venture of start up or tech company and a researcher from Nigeria university.

I say make i bring up this matter come our local board so that anybody wey dey this field or get person wey go dey interested to fit know. I still say make I ask from people to hear their opinion on how this scheme to fit take help our economy because the way our economy dey now we need programmes and schemes wey fo git help to revive our economy. We know say for out country it is easy said than done, all wetin Tinubu promise us na the opposit we dey see.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/nigerian-gov-supports-ai-initiatives-with-289-980-in-grants