Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has been named on Time magazine’s 2025 list of the 100 most influential people in Artificial Intelligence. The recognition highlights Nigeria’s growing visibility in global AI leadership, especially in developing inclusive and responsible technology frameworks.
Bosun Tijani stands alongside global figures such as Elon Musk (xAI), Sam Altman (OpenAI), and Matthew Prince (Cloudflare). His recognition is tied to his leadership in driving Nigeria’s National AI Strategy (NAIS) and advocating for inclusive, locally relevant AI adoption.
In April 2024, Bosun Tijani convened over 120 AI researchers, startups, and government leaders to co-create Nigeria’s National AI Strategy. The framework aims to guide responsible AI adoption across agriculture, education, healthcare, and fintech.
Nigeria soon unveiled a prototype multilingual large language model (LLM), designed to support local languages and accented English. The model was developed with fellows from the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, in partnership with global tech companies including Google, Microsoft, and Meta. It received $3.5 million in seed funding.
Further milestones included:
- Launch of a ₦100 million AI startup fund with Google in September 2024.
- A $1.5 million AI research fund supported by the Luminate Group.
- Formation of a National AI Trust and the AI Collective to strengthen governance and innovation.
In June 2025, Nigeria partnered with Meta to launch the Nigeria AI Accelerator Programme, running through December 2025, to support startups tackling local challenges.
Recognition and Concerns
While Tijani’s inclusion on the Time list is celebrated as a milestone for Nigeria, concerns remain over the gap between vision and implementation. The National AI Strategy has not yet been finalised or fully rolled out, and the multilingual LLM is still awaiting integration into national systems.
Analysts note that the recognition reflects more of Nigeria’s potential than concrete results. Still, Tijani maintains that the momentum is a collective achievement. “This honour is a reflection of the collective effort of innovators and partners who believe in the potential of AI to transform societies,” he said in a post on X.
The development, according to a 9am News report, reinforces Nigeria’s ambitions to lead Africa in ethical AI adoption while remaining a key player in global conversations on technology and innovation.
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