- President Tinubu met with Sundar Pichai to discuss a strategic partnership with Google
- The partnership aimed to boost AI, cloud infrastructure, and digital skills in Nigeria
- The collaboration was seen as a significant step towards Nigeria's digital transformation and AI leadership
President Bola Tinubu is exploring a strategic partnership with Google to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI) innovation and cloud adoption in a bid to position Nigeria as a leading digital economy in Africa.
Tinubu shared details of the initiative on Wednesday through his verified X handle, revealing that he had met with Sundar Pichai, the Chief Executive Officer of Google and Alphabet, in France.
The President described the engagement as a significant step towards advancing Nigeria’s digital transformation and reinforcing the country’s role in AI development.
“Nigeria is poised to take the lead in AI and technology—this is merely the start of an exciting journey!” Tinubu stated in his post, expressing optimism about the nation's growing digital potential.
The proposed partnership with Google, according to the President, will focus on five critical areas: enhancing scalable cloud infrastructure, equipping the Nigerian workforce with future-ready digital skills, promoting AI research and innovation, driving cloud adoption, and positioning Nigeria as a hub for global AI advancements.
Tinubu highlighted Nigeria’s promising prospects in AI, citing Awarri Technologies, a Nigerian firm at the forefront of AI software development.
The Federal Government is already collaborating with the company to build infrastructure tailored to the country’s specific needs.
The discussions are aligned with Tinubu's administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to diversify the economy through industrialisation, digitisation, and innovation.
“This initiative will empower businesses, create new opportunities, and establish Nigeria as a significant player in the global digital economy,” he added.
The partnership will be overseen by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) leading the implementation of the initiative.
Dr Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, described the meeting as “extremely productive” and underscored the government's commitment to fostering AI skills and innovation in Nigeria’s key sectors. He also emphasised Google’s support in these efforts.
Sundar Pichai echoed these sentiments, saying, “It was a great meeting with President Tinubu. We talked about the immense potential of AI in Nigeria and how we can partner to expand AI skills, enable innovation, and support Nigeria’s growing tech ecosystem.”
Nigeria earned N2.55tn tax from Google, Netflix, other foreign companies in first half of 2024
Meanwhile, TheRadar reported that Nigeria’s revenue had increased tremendously in 2024 through the taxation of foreign companies receiving profits from their services and residents in Nigeria.
For instance, Google, Netflix, Facebook and other foreign companies operating in Nigeria paid N2.55 trillion in taxes to the Federal Government in the first half of 2024. This amount represents an increase of 158.76 per cent from N985.27 billion collected in 2023.
