AI can contribute $15 billion to Nigeria’s GDP – NYSC director urges universities to Published on November 30, 2025, by John Owen Nwachukwu.
Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), urged Nigerian universities on Saturday to urgently adopt artificial intelligence as a core part of teaching and research to prepare the country for a digital future.
Delivering a lecture at the 23rd Convocation Ceremony of Igbinedion University, Okada, General Nafiu warned that AI is already remaking education worldwide and that Nigeria must lead the change rather than be left behind.
He said the country’s demographic profile – with around 60 per cent of the population aged under 25, according to national estimates – gives Nigeria a unique opportunity to convert youthful talent into economic advantage if universities and the government commit to building digital skills and curating curricula for the tech era.
Nafiu said estimates indicate Nigeria’s artificial intelligence market could expand at about 27% a year and add roughly $15 billion to the country’s GDP by 2030 – a projection he attributed to recent market analyses cited during his address.
The director highlighted examples of AI-powered teaching tools and learning experiments that have improved student outcomes internationally and in parts of Edo State, saying such projects demonstrate the technology’s practical benefits for schools and universities.
He told the convocation that the evidence points to AI’s ability to raise teaching quality, broaden access to higher education and strengthen Nigeria’s position in the global digital economy and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Outlining the technology’s specific uses in higher education, General Nafiu listed personalised learning systems, faster research output, wider access to quality instruction and more efficient campus administration – all of which, he argued, could increase the sector’s productivity and economic value if matched by targeted investment and infrastructure improvements.
He urged universities to move beyond simply adopting foreign products and to become creators of Africa-focused AI solutions that address local needs.
“We must focus on AI solutions that address our unique challenges, such as predictive models for agriculture, diagnostic systems for local diseases, and educational platforms tailored to our multilingual, infrastructure-limited context,” he said.
General Nafiu told the convocation that the NYSC could help scale this effort: the service’s routine deployment of nearly 400,000 Corps members each year offers a ready workforce to deliver digital skills training and raise awareness in towns and villages across the country.
Under the plan he outlined, Corps members would act as AI literacy ambassadors – running community programmes that improve internet access, introduce participants to basic AI tools and create opportunities for local talent to engage with tech-driven initiatives.
The director acknowledged several obstacles to widespread AI adoption in higher education, citing infrastructural gaps, the risk of digital colonialism, a shortage of academic staff trained in AI, ethical dilemmas and limited funding.
He urged universities to draw up and enforce ethical guidelines for artificial intelligence and to adopt policies that protect academic integrity as the sector digitises.
To address these challenges, General Nafiu proposed five strategic actions: upgrade and expand digital infrastructure; overhaul curricula to include digital skills and AI literacy; invest in capacity building for lecturers; strengthen institutional governance; and ensure equitable access to AI tools and cloud resources across campuses.
He added that realising these priorities would require commitment and coordinated investment from universities, government and the private sector. He suggested that targeted initiatives could boost productivity, create new jobs and unlock economic value for the country.
General Nafiu congratulated the graduands and urged them to take an active role in shaping the country’s digital future, saying: “AI has already transformed your world; your task is to lead the transformation that comes next.”
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The director suggested graduates, universities, and government should follow up with concrete initiatives – from targeted training programmes to increased investment in digital infrastructure – to convert Nigeria’s talent and digital skills into jobs, productivity and long‑term economic growth. A complete text of the speech and details of any NYSC follow‑up programmes were said to be available from the NYSC press office.