NewStats: 3,264,955 , 8,185,209 topics. Date: Thursday, 12 June 2025 at 11:05 PM 4471k

Nigeria will soon have an institute dedicated to studying robotics and artificial intelligence, thanks to a team of scientists and engineers led by Professor Bart Nnaji, founder and Chairman of the Geometric Power Group.

Nnaji, a former Minister of Science and Technology who later served as the Minister of Power, disclosed the establishment of the institute yesterday at a lecture to mark the 100th anniversary of Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu, owned by the Catholic Church in Anambra and Enugu states.

Nnaji, who did his postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Artificial Intelligence before becoming a Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Director of the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and then moved to the University of Pittsburgh to lead a consortium of universities on a research programme funded by the United States National Science Foundation, told the audience that the federal government has successfully scrutinised the institute through the office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

He revealed that the institute’s application was made in 2017, and it took the government four years to establish that “it is in the national interest to have such an advanced facility.”

He described the objectives of the institute as to engage in the learning and study of computer sciences that teach the technology of intelligent machines and robots and issue certificates to students; to train and issue certification in the design hardware that does some autonomous tasks repeatedly; and to carry out research studies in the development and analysis of algorithms that learn and perform intelligent behaviour with minimal human intervention”.


Dike Ejike, a mechanical engineer, power and business consultant in Abuja who attended the Bigard Seminary centenary, explained that “it is remarkable that far-reaching steps were taken to establish the institute in Nigeria long before generative artificial intelligence took the world by storm since November 30 2022 when Sam Altman and his group at OpenA1 launched ChatGTP in the United States which has radically changed the way the world learns, conducts research and does business.”

Though Nnaji did not state when the institute would commence operations, the location or structure, Ejike told the audience that “all Nigerians and the government should this farsighted institute to help galvanise Nigerians into the AI race that has begun to define development in the 21st century”.


Disclosing that the Bells University of Technology at Otta in Ogun State where he serves as the Governing Council chairman has just approved the establishment of an artificial intelligence centre, Nnaji called on the Nigerian government to prioritise Science Technology Mathematics and Engineering (STEM) subjects for Nigeria to leapfrog in developmental , citing the example of Vietnam which now produces 90,000 STEM talents annually, still, the pool is grossly inadequate for leading technology companies like Invidia and Apple which are competing for greater operations in the country.


“Nvidia”, recalled the famous scientist, “was established in 1993 by a team led by 30-year-old Jansen Huan, originally from Taiwan, and it made a stupendous $15.3 billion profit last quarter alone whereas Nigeria, a country of over 200m people, makes not more than $25 billion from crude oil sales annually”.

He counselled that world-class economics and management programmes be introduced in the country to enhance Nigeria’s competitiveness, adding that even leading scientific institutions like NASA need excellent managers to remain well-run and business leaders need a basic knowledge of global economics to do well.


Nnaji, winner of the Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM), the nation’s highest honour for academic and artistic achievement, also called on the authorities of Bigard Memorial Seminary to consider upgrading the 100-year-old institution’s academic status beyond preparing its students for Bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and theology.

“Eight years of full-time and intensive studies should earn the candidates at least the licentiate or master’s degree”, he observed, asking them to borrow a leaf from the International School of Theology at Atakwu in Enugu South Local Government Area where the candidates for the Catholic priesthood graduate with a master’s degree from Duquesne University in Philadelphia, United States, after four years of studies in philosophy followed by a four-year theological programme.

https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2024/11/16/nnaji-sets-up-robotics-artificial-intelligence-institute-in-nigeria/

A quick rundown of what this artificial intelligence institute will do will be fine. Grooming of local skills, setting up an artificial intelligence platform or laboratory so that most people don't have to use sage maker in aws or Google AI or Azure. Setting up AI clusters or agent businesses in the east. Assisting with venture capital or start up capital for startups.

This institute if well managed will create the next 100 millionaires and billionaires in the east.

AI is already a game changer creating billionaires in open AI , Claude, Curso, invidia, copilot etc

Javis will be one of the lecture....

H

Good News

Barth Nnaji again??

All these great men love this country too much, but occultic evil politicians are not allowing their work to show.

This man could have done a lot more in our electricity capacity, but children of hate, attacked him viciously during his tenure with Jonathan

This is how real industrialization starts. Soon Nigerians will be bragging in the technical circle. ☺

stagger:


Only you. Coconut head.

We are here talking serious business and you are talking nonsense.

Thanks for the mention. Some threads are not for kids.

Who else thought it's the actress Nnaji?

Govt go soon frustrate and shut am down, they rather keep producing toothpicks

Dagger111:
Who else thought it's the actress Nnaji?

Only you. Coconut head.

We are here talking serious business and you are talking nonsense.

Where is FreeStuffsNG?

MadPolitician:



https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2024/11/16/nnaji-sets-up-robotics-artificial-intelligence-institute-in-nigeria/

Dem go CRY leave First Robot A.Intelligence to be INTELLIGENT to Cry when e feel PAIN.. ask P&G, michellin ... SHOPRITE is no more Right but WRONG now in market

Good one

His fellow kinsmen will run him down. Nah their way.

This is an awesome development.

MadPolitician:



https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2024/11/16/nnaji-sets-up-robotics-artificial-intelligence-institute-in-nigeria/

Good move

He is a patriot. Not all these our thief thief politicians who flaunt cars and money everywhere like they worked hard for it. I don't blame them. They will always be ed by poorTaiwo, Jekyariomo, Hell_and anuss

onadana:
His fellow kinsmen will run him down. Nah their way.

otu nne yi

Nice.

Igbo Amaka.

no be naija!
we no go hear of anything productive 1 year from now
dead on arrival

Nice one

Good.
Baba go site am for him home state sharperly.

Well, na 4 days dem dey take work for that area.

Laudable!

I have always respected this Prof, highly intelligent and practices whatever he preaches.
Congratulations Prof

Ever8090:
Javis will be one of the lecture....

How?