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From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
Meta, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, has launched the AI Academy Nigeria to strengthen artificial intelligence skills and support the growth of locally developed AI solutions.
The initiative, disclosed in a statement on Monday, is being implemented through the ministry’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme and the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), in collaboration with Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Nigeria (RAIN).
The academy is designed to provide developers, entrepreneurs, students and young professionals with practical training in artificial intelligence, while giving early-stage startups access to technical support and funding opportunities.
A major component of the programme is an AI Startup Pitchathon, which will allow Nigerian startups building with Meta’s AI technologies to present solutions targeted at real-world problems.
The top two startups in the competition will each receive $5,000 in equity-free cash funding, as well as $2,000 worth of Meta advertising credits. The winners will also receive an all-expenses-paid opportunity to represent Nigeria at the AI Summit by Meta in Istanbul, Türkiye, scheduled for November 23 and 24, 2026.
Applications for the pitchathon are expected to close on August 21, after which 10 startups will be shortlisted to pitch at GITEX Nigeria on September 3.
Beyond the funding opportunity, the AI Academy will run across three major tracks: AI Skills Development, the AI Startup Pitchathon and a six-week Developer Bootcamp.
The programme is aimed at moving participants beyond learning basic AI concepts to building practical products and solutions that can be deployed in the market.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, said the partnership would equip Nigerian developers, entrepreneurs and young professionals with practical AI skills and create pathways for the emergence of globally competitive startups.
“Through this partnership, we are equipping developers, entrepreneurs, and young professionals with practical AI skills while creating pathways for innovation and globally competitive startups,” Tijani said.
He said the initiative reflected the Federal Government’s commitment to developing Nigeria’s AI ecosystem through partnerships with the private sector and positioning the country as a major player in Africa’s digital economy.
Sade Dada, Head of Public Policy, Anglophone West Africa at Meta, said Nigeria already had a strong pool of AI talent but needed greater access to practical training, funding and platforms that could help innovators turn their ideas into useful products.
“Nigeria is home to some of Africa’s most dynamic AI talent. What many founders and developers need is greater access to practical training, funding and platforms to build impactful solutions,” Dada said.
She said the academy was created to equip more Nigerians with AI skills while helping promising startups move from developing solutions for the local market to competing on regional and global platforms.
The founder and CEO of RAIN, Dr Olushola Ayoola, said the programme demonstrated the importance of collaboration between government, technology companies and local innovation organisations in building Nigeria’s AI capacity.
The launch comes as artificial intelligence adoption continues to expand across Nigeria, with businesses, entrepreneurs and government agencies increasingly exploring the technology for productivity, service delivery and new business opportunities.
In May, the Federal Government and Meta also launched GovGuide Nigeria, an AI-powered multilingual chatbot designed to help Nigerians access information on government services. The platform uses Meta’s open-source AI models and supports English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.
Meta has also previously partnered with the Nigerian government on the Llama Impact Accelerator, which focused on helping early-stage startups develop AI solutions to address challenges in areas such as agriculture, healthcare and security.
The latest AI Academy initiative therefore represents another step in the push to build a stronger domestic AI ecosystem, with the emphasis shifting from simply teaching Nigerians how to use artificial intelligence to helping them develop businesses and products around the technology.
For Nigerian startups, the programme provides not only access to funding but also technical training, mentorship, exposure and an opportunity to connect with a wider international technology ecosystem.
The initiative could also help address one of the major challenges facing Nigeria’s emerging AI sector — the gap between the growing number of people learning AI skills and the availability of funding and platforms to turn those skills into commercially viable businesses.
With the two winning startups set to receive a combined $10,000 in cash funding and $4,000 in advertising credits, the programme offers participating founders an opportunity to test their products, gain visibility and take their businesses closer to the regional and global markets.
