Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, has set out his vision for a “one of its kind” National AI Trust at the Warwick Business School (WBS) London.

The School hosted a two-day National AI Trust Convening, one of three the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy is holding, as Nigeria looks to position itself in the global AI race.

Dr. Tijani, a Warwick Business School alum who was named in 2025 by Time Magazine in its list of the 100 Most Influential People in AI, headed the Convening that brought together senior Nigerian government representatives, international AI experts, business leaders, academics and public interest groups.

It discussed how to design the Trust, which will guide the next phase of Nigeria’s AI adoption, investment and responsible innovation.

The convening marked a significant step in Nigeria’s attempt to formalise oversight of a technology set to transform its digital economy.

Dr. Tijani said: “We are going to become a standard bearer for the world. This has never been done before; the AI Trust is one of its kind and is an important step in building the foundations for Nigeria to thrive in the age of AI.

“This is a transformative technology. AI is becoming the operating system for how countries compete and how businesses evolve. It will change every sector, and the Trust is to ensure Nigeria is part of that transformation.

“To be part of this race and lead Africa Nigeria will have to be more innovative; the Government’s job is to ensure the infrastructure and governance is in place for business and entrepreneurs to do that and gain the full benefit of AI,” added the Honourable Minister.

As the Honourable Minister works to raise $2 billion for Project BRIDGE, the Ministry’s initiative to lay 90,000km of fibre-optic cable network across Nigeria, Dr. Tijani is hoping the AI Trust will build the governance to sit alongside the infrastructure.

“The competitiveness of any society starts with governance,” he said. “If the Trust can demonstrate impact and show its value, then it will ensure its longevity beyond the present government.

“Representation in the new AI world is important for Africa, we need participation beyond the US and the West. As AI systems expand globally, understanding diverse contexts matters. The National AI Trust can play a part in this.”

Andy Lockett, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship and Dean of WBS said: “AI governance is of huge importance – not just for Africa, but for countries around the world.

“At Warwick Business School, it is in our DNA to influence both policy and practice, going back to our origin 59 years ago when we were known as the School of Industrial and Business Studies. We are delighted to support initiatives like the Nigeria AI Trust and to convene important conversations where we can learn, collaborate and shape the future together.”

The event, which included presentations from WBS academics, was organised in partnership with the Co-creation Hub (CcHUB) and the MacArthur Foundation, a US charity.