Google, FG Train Civil Servants on AI for Economic Growth

The Federal Government of Nigeria, in partnership with Google, on Thursday conducted a specialised training programme for civil servants to boost public sector productivity through artificial intelligence (AI).

The initiative, held in Abuja, aims to position Nigeria to benefit from an estimated $1.75 trillion in annual public sector productivity gains from AI by 2033.

In his address, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, highlighted the critical role of AI in achieving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s $1 trillion economy target by 2030.

Tijani reiterated the government’s commitment to building AI capacity among civil servants across key sectors including education, agriculture, healthcare, and governance.

“And this is why we’re extremely excited about this opportunity and support from Google and Apolitical,” the minister said.

Speaking on Google’s motivation for supporting the programme, Olumide Balogun, West Africa Director at Google, said the tech giant is committed to investing in the people driving Nigeria’s digital transformation.

“Championing Nigeria’s digital transformation means investing in the people who shape its future. By working hand-in-hand with public sector leaders and practitioners, we are not only providing technical resources but also sharing knowledge that empowers them to deliver better, more efficient government services,” Balogun stated.

He noted that AI adoption can help Nigerian communities access smarter solutions, improved social outcomes, and greater inclusion in the digital economy.

Also speaking, Chris Ferguson, Vice President at Apolitical, stressed the importance of structured training to enable effective AI integration in governance.

ALSO READ : Cardoso Heads Nigeria’s Delegation, Uzoka-Anete Left Out – Edun

“Structured training is the cornerstone for successful AI adoption in government. This initiative is a pioneering effort that will equip Nigerian public servants with the capabilities to lead the digital transformation with confidence and foresight,” he said.

The Minister added that AI is expected to be a major driver of productivity across Nigeria’s key sectors, noting that the government is investing resources to ensure that civil servants can natively adopt AI tools to accelerate administrative processes and improve service delivery.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL

“We see artificial intelligence as a major driver of productivity across our key sectors. We have been putting resources into ensuring that we can support our civil servants and our public service in a manner that AI can become something that is native to them… to accelerate and shorten the time we spend on administrating our processes, or by using it to better deliver to our people,” Tijani explained.