Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on African countries to deepen cooperation and present a united position on artificial intelligence, telecommunications and digital governance.
Speaking at the seventh Ordinary Session of the Conference of Plenipotentiaries of the African Telecommunications Union in Abuja on Thursday, Shettima said no African country could achieve the continent’s digital ambitions in isolation.
Represented by Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Hadejia, the Vice President urged African nations to work together to expand broadband access, strengthen cybersecurity, harmonise standards, improve spectrum management and develop responsible artificial intelligence policies.
He said Africa must move beyond participating in global technology discussions to influencing decisions that shape the future of digital development.
Shettima added that Nigeria remained committed to advancing broadband infrastructure, artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure and innovation under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Also speaking, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, urged African countries to present a united front at the forthcoming International Telecommunication Union conference.
He announced the expansion of Nigeria’s N-ATLAS artificial intelligence initiative into a continental project known as the ATLAS Network to support the development of AI systems that reflect African languages, cultures and knowledge.
The Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, said Africa was increasingly emerging as an innovator and standard-setter in the global digital economy, while the Secretary-General of the African Telecommunications Union, John Omo, called on member states to increase financial contributions to strengthen the organisation’s operations.
