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From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Federal Government on Tuesday, said it was drafting an artificial intelligence (AI) policy to address threats and potential that the adoption of the innovation portends for the country.
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr Kashifu Inuwa, disclosed this in a statement issued by his Spokesperson, Mrs Hadiza Umar.
According to the statement, the DG spoke during a panel discussion segment at the Central Bank of Nigeria’s 2023 Payments System Management Departmental Retreat programme.
Inuwa said the AI Policy will serve as the foundation for all regulations, and that organisations such as NITDA, the implementation agency, will discuss the approaches, methodology, and best practices for navigating its adoption and implementation.
“Although artificial intelligence is often regarded as a double edged sword, the potential and benefits are tangible but not without a lot of threats, and that is apart from the biases that abound, notwithstanding, our regulatory approach has always been not to stifle innovation.”, the DG noted.
He said that NITDA will be collaborating with CBN as well as other agencies, in regulating the AI space, while acknowledging that deliberate measures must be taken to reap the benefits and avert its impending threats, adding that if CBN adopted a particular technology, there was a higher chance that it would advance quickly.
The NITDA boss informed the audience that nearly all of the barriers affecting the tech industry will be addressed by the Start-up Bill, which was approved by the National Assembly and signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari in October 2022.
The Fintech industry, according to Inuwa, is blazing the trail, but said there are a lot more to be tapped from, if AI is explored and exploited accordingly.
He went further to stress that the government needed to work with the United Nations, World Bank and others to see how they can help build the infrastructure for FinTech, in order to foster digital payments and possibly close the digital gap.
“The Startup Act is deemed to be a positive step forward for the country’s startup ecosystem, and it is expected to have a significant impact on businesses in the technology and innovation space”.
“We have other policies tailored towards the bigger picture, like the 3MTT programme by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy which is expected to generate a pipeline of technical talent in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of creating 2 million digital jobs by 2025, National Broadband Plan, Digital Identity Policy and the National Financial Policy which drive the financial inclusion in the country,” Inuwa affirmed.
