Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovations, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has been named among TIME’s 100 most influential people in AI for 2025. The recognition comes as Nigeria pursues ambitious AI goals, despite still grappling with basic digital infrastructure challenges.
Tijani was recognised for driving the 3MTT program, which has trained about 300,000 people toward its target of three million tech talents, and for convening over 120 Nigerian experts to co-create a National AI Strategy. The strategy targets critical sectors like healthcare, agriculture, and education—sectors where Nigeria still struggles with service delivery.
Nigeria may have strategy documents and high-level partnerships, but it still lags in AI readiness. It ranks 94 in the global AI readiness index, 29 places behind Egypt and 22 behind South Africa. Progress will require more than vision: data infrastructure, local research support, and sustained execution remain missing pieces.
Nigeria’s real test is whether its AI ambitions translate from international accolades to tangible benefits for citizens still waiting for reliable digital services.
This global recognition validates Nigeria’s AI ambitions and feeds into President Tinubu’s trillion-dollar economy vision. But being on a list is easier than delivering AI-powered improvements.
