Nigerian youths have been urged to acquire stronger artificial intelligence skills and play a more active role in determining how emerging technologies are developed and deployed in the country.
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The call was made by the Founder and Executive Director of the Rural Education and Digital Learning Initiative (REDLI), Andikan Umoh, during an AI dialogue held in Abuja following a six-week training programme organised to mark International Youth Day. More than 95 participants received training in areas including prompt engineering, data ethics, responsible AI use, content creation and “vibe coding.”
Umoh said the initiative was designed to narrow the widening divide between the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and the ability of Nigerians, particularly young people, to access and effectively use the technology.
She explained that prompt engineering involves more than simply issuing instructions to an AI platform. Users must understand how to communicate effectively with such systems if they want to obtain useful and accurate results.
The REDLI executive director also stressed that responsible use must remain central to AI education. She warned that the technology could be exploited to produce harmful material and called for deliberate efforts to teach young people ethical and constructive applications of AI.
According to her, Nigeria cannot afford to remain a passive consumer of technologies developed elsewhere. She argued that the country should begin influencing AI policy, development and deployment now, rather than waiting until the technology becomes fully established.
Umoh described the situation as comparable to “building a plane while flying the plane,” stressing the urgency of preparing Nigerians for a technological landscape that is evolving at remarkable speed.
She further advocated stronger African participation in the development of artificial intelligence. Her concern is that many existing AI systems are trained predominantly on Western data, potentially creating biases and limiting how effectively they understand African realities.
She therefore encouraged Nigeria to explore both the development of indigenous AI solutions and the formulation of policies that would ensure international AI platforms adequately serve the country’s interests.
Umoh also identified education and unemployment as areas where AI could be deployed to address pressing social challenges. She maintained that the technology should be channelled towards solving tangible problems rather than becoming merely another digital novelty.
Also speaking at the event, the Founder and Executive Director of the Youth Employment Development Initiative, Akin Akinbisola, urged Nigerians to embrace AI as a tool for improving productivity rather than viewing it principally as a threat to human employment.
Akinbisola said misconceptions about artificial intelligence have contributed to reluctance among some youths, civil servants and other groups to adopt the technology. He argued that AI does not eliminate the need for human creativity and judgement; instead, its effectiveness depends considerably on the ability of users to formulate appropriate instructions and apply their own expertise.
He cautioned young Nigerians against surrendering their independent thinking to AI tools. According to him, technology should augment human intelligence rather than replace it.
Akinbisola also called for faster government action on digital infrastructure, AI policy and public awareness. He emphasised the importance of protecting citizens’ data and privacy as AI-powered services become increasingly embedded in everyday activities.
Another concern highlighted at the dialogue was affordability. Umoh noted that some AI platforms operate through credit-based systems, which can make continued access difficult for young Nigerians, particularly those with limited financial resources.
She also pointed to poor infrastructure and restricted digital access as obstacles that could widen Nigeria’s AI skills divide if they are not addressed.
The discussions ultimately underscored the need for a deliberate national strategy that combines AI education, affordable digital access, ethical safeguards and local innovation.
For Nigeria’s youths, the emerging message is clear: artificial intelligence is not simply a technology to be consumed. Developing the skills to understand, question, create and responsibly deploy it could determine whether young Nigerians merely adapt to the next technological era or help shape it themselves.
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