The Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, today delivered the keynote at the inaugural virtual public lecture series organised by the Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, in partnership with National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and Lagos Business School (LBS).

Organised under the aegis of the Nigeria Artificial Intelligence Research Scheme (NAIRS), the lecture, titled ‘Using AI for the Early Detection and Management of Tuta Absoluta-Induced Tomato Diseases,’ showcased the groundbreaking solution developed by the Tomato ebola research consortium made up of Dr. Aniebietabasi Ackley, Team Leader (New Zealand); Dr. Harisu Abdullahi, Principal Investigator (New Zealand); Mark Marvellous, Technical Investigator (UK/Canada); and Ofem Eteng, Industry Advisor (Nigeria).

The Tomato ebola research team is one of 45 recipients of Nigeria’s inaugural AI Research Grant offered by the Federal Government to solve critical challenges in the agriculture sector using Artificial Intelligence.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Tijani said: “In many ways, building a strong AI ecosystem has been a driver for the initiatives we deploy in the Ministry. What we are witnessing today is the beginning of a series of public lectures that are based around research projects that can be extended into the development of startups and AI applications to solve problems that are common to us in our nation. This will offer us an opportunity to demonstrate strong leadership across the continent and beyond.”

The NAIRS lecture series is designed to spotlight homegrown research projects with the potential to be developed into startups and scalable AI applications that address national priorities. By bringing together researchers, policymakers, and innovators, the series underscores Nigeria’s ambition to harness digital technologies for economic growth, food security, and global competitiveness.

Dr. Tijani further emphasised the importance of AI in transforming productivity and driving national prosperity: “As many of you would know, one of the reasons why the government is bullish about AI is its potential to increase our productivity, thereby raising our nation’s GDP. AI and digital technology can help us develop our agriculture sector, and we hope that this will be an inspiration to many other researchers across the country. With this public lecture series, I do hope that Nigeria will begin to show the world that we are not just paying lip service to AI but we’re truly building it to improve the lot of our people to achieve shared prosperity.”

The Honourable Minister commended the contributions of the researchers, noting that their pioneering work in applying AI to agriculture is a critical step toward addressing food insecurity while creating pathways for innovation-driven enterprises. He added that initiatives like NAIRS demonstrate how Nigerian research can deliver impact not just domestically, but across Africa and the global community.

The inaugural lecture sets the tone for a continuous series under NAIRS, which will feature Nigerian AI researchers presenting transformative projects across sectors such as healthcare, security, climate change, and education. Through this platform, the Ministry reinforces its commitment to positioning Nigeria as a hub for AI-driven solutions and a leader in shaping the future of technology for inclusive development.