TLDR: The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has called on Nigerians to responsibly adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) for wealth creation and national development. Speakers at the Kano Social Influencers Summit (KANSIS) highlighted AI’s influence on daily life, warned against its potential to worsen disinformation, and emphasized the need for strong governance frameworks to protect privacy.
The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has urged Nigerians to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) responsibly as a powerful tool for wealth creation and national development. This call was made by Isa Garba, Senior Program Officer at CITAD, during the 6th Kano Social Influencers Summit (KANSIS), which focused on ‘Toward a more inclusive Governance of AI’. Garba, representing CITAD’s Executive Director, Y.Z. Yau, stressed the importance of Nigerians not lagging in the global digital transformation.
Garba emphasized that the fear surrounding AI must be overcome, replaced by a proactive understanding of its responsible application. He stated, ‘We need to wake up, learn AI, and use it to create wealth and drive development. If we continue to depend on others and remain passive users of technology, we will be cheated by the same systems we depend on.’ He illustrated AI’s pervasive influence by noting how social media algorithms curate content based on user patterns, demonstrating its power and the necessity for understanding and control.
Further warnings were issued by Prof. Bala Mohammed of Bayero University, Kano, who cautioned that the misuse of AI could exacerbate disinformation and pose a threat to democratic processes. ‘Wrongful deployment of AI has become one of the greatest communication challenges confronting African countries,’ Prof. Mohammed asserted, advocating for a balance between innovation and ethics to ensure AI supports truth and social stability.
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Abdulmalik Jamoh, representing Dr. Vincent Olatunji of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, raised concerns about AI systems collecting user data without consent, thereby risking personal privacy. He called for the implementation of robust governance frameworks and ‘privacy-by-design’ policies to ensure AI serves the public good. The Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Waiya, representing the Kano State Governor, commended CITAD for the summit, acknowledging the low level of AI literacy in Nigeria and the critical need for its adoption for national progress.
