Nigeria is teaming up with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to launch a $7.5 million artificial intelligence hub aimed at scaling homegrown AI solutions across healthcare, agriculture, and education.
The AI Scaling Hub, announced Tuesday in Abuja, will support Nigerian startups, researchers, and public institutions to pilot and deploy mature AI tools with real-world impact. The three-year initiative is part of Nigeria’s broader push to position itself as a leader in AI-driven development on the African continent.
“This collaboration strengthens our national capacity to build responsible, scalable AI that solves real problems,” said Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy.
The Hub will be co-implemented with Lagos Business School and will provide technical assistance, mentorship, and funding to selected innovators. It is expected to play a central role in Nigeria’s upcoming National AI Strategy, which seeks to guide ethical AI adoption and promote digital inclusion.
Africa’s digital economy is growing rapidly, but AI integration remains uneven due to infrastructure gaps and limited institutional investment. The Gates Foundation says the new hub is designed to close that gap.
“AI is transforming the development landscape,” said Uche Amaonwu, Nigeria Country Director at the Gates Foundation. “This investment is about ensuring that local innovators are at the forefront of shaping that transformation.”
The hub is expected to become operational in Q3 2025, with its first cohort of AI-driven projects launching by the end of the year.
The announcement underscores growing interest in leveraging emerging technologies to address systemic challenges in Africa — from agricultural productivity and disease surveillance to education access and public sector efficiency.
