Nigeria emerges as West Africa's digital powerhouse, says Minister Bosun Tijani

Speaking at the Second Seminar on Anticipatory, Cyber and Digital Diplomacy in Abuja, Tijani highlighted that diplomacy is increasingly shaped by digital capabilities, not solely by a country's size, economy, or military strength. Nigeria is uniquely positioned to lead digital transformation in the region, possessing its own communications satellites and the highest number of subsea internet cables in West Africa. This makes Nigeria the data hub of West Africa, strategically important to global technology companies and neighboring countries.

The Federal Government is strengthening cybersecurity through a new Ministerial Advisory Council and adopting a resilience-based approach to protect critical digital infrastructure. Nigeria has also emerged as Africa's top-ranked nation for responsible AI, according to a University of Cambridge research group, a recognition attributed to policies promoting AI innovation while safeguarding national interests. The country has developed the first government-backed large language model capable of understanding Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Ibibio, and accented English.

The Federal Executive Council has approved the establishment of a National AI Trust for inv