This funding will support programs focused on building advanced AI talent and strengthening digital safety and security within the community.

This initiative is a core commitment to advancing Nigeria’s vision for digital leadership, directly supporting the ambitious National AI Strategy and the national mandate to create 1 million digital jobs.

The country is poised to unlock a projected $15 billion in economic value from AI by 2030, according to findings from Public First.

This dual focus ensures the country has both the skilled workforce and the secure environment needed for its economic growth to be sustainable and inclusive.

Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, minister of Communication, Innovation & Digital Economy, commented:

“Artificial Intelligence sits at the heart of Nigeria’s desire to raise the level of productivity in our economy as well as our ambition to compete globally in technology and innovation. I welcome this important and timely investment from Google and Google.org, which reflects the power of meaningful private-sector partnership in nurturing our talent, strengthening our digital infrastructure, and advancing our national AI priorities. This collaboration directly supports our drive to operationalise our National AI Strategy and to position Nigerian innovators at the forefront of the global AI revolution.”

The funding will be provided to five expert organizations.

• To build AI talent:
  • FATE Foundation in collaboration with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), will embed an advanced AI curriculum into universities.
  • The African Technology Forum (ATF) will launch an innovation challenge to guide developers from learning to building real-world products.
• To fortify digital safety:
  • Junior Achievement (JA) Africa will scale the ‘Be Internet Awesome’ curriculum for youth.
  • The CyberSafe Foundation will strengthen the cybersecurity of public institutions.

Adenike Adeyemi, executive director, FATE Foundation, added:

“We are incredibly proud to partner with the African Institute of Management Sciences on the Advanced AI UpSkilling Project, with support from Google.org. This groundbreaking initiative is a direct response to the urgent need for deep AI competencies in Africa, empowering tertiary institutions, lecturers, and students in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. This strategic support aligns perfectly with FATE Foundation’s mission to foster innovation and sustainable economic growth across the continent, ensuring Africa is fully equipped to lead in the global technological future.”

Olumide Balogun, director for West Africa at Google, commented:

“Google has been a foundational partner in Nigeria’s digital journey, and this N3 billion commitment is the next chapter in that story. This is an investment in people, aimed at empowering them with advanced AI skills and ensuring a safe digital space to operate. We are honoured to continue our collaboration in support of the Ministry’s efforts to help build a future where the promise of AI creates opportunity for everyone.”

This announcement builds on Google’s long-standing commitment to Nigeria, including infrastructure like the Equiano subsea cable and successful initiatives like the 2023 “Skills Sprint” program, a N1.2 billion commitment to Mind the Gap.

This program successfully trained 20,991 participants (including 5,217 women in AI & Tech) and saw 3,576 participants move into jobs, internships, or businesses, demonstrating tangible results in advancing Nigeria’s digital economy.

The post Google Announces Fresh N3 Billion Investment in Nigeria appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The page, which can be accessed on the Google Trends website https://goo.gle/NigeriaElectionTrends, allows users to compare the search popularity of the presidential candidates and trending questions being asked about them. The portal features maps and graphs displaying the search interest for the candidates over a period of 30 days.

This is a part of a broader initiative by Google to support the 2023 elections, which also includes trainings for new and media publishers on how to effectively use YouTube to tell election stories and training from the Google News Lab to help journalists learn how to use search and other Google tools for better storytelling, including data visualisation, verification and fact-checking.

As Nigeria celebrates 24 years of Democracy in the upcoming elections, Google’s mission to organise and make the world’s information universally accessible and useful is more relevant than ever.

“We want Nigerians to be empowered with information during the upcoming elections, so we’re organising information to make it easy for voters to learn more about the candidates through the eyes of Google Trends,” said Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Communications and Public Affairs Manager for West Africa. “More accessible and useful political information improves the political process and leads to greater citizen participation.”

The Google Nigeria Elections Trends Hub will help voters make more informed decisions at the polls, and have a greater voice in the political process.

“We’re empowering voters so that they are not simply watching from afar, but participating, engaging with and shaping the political process in a democratic way,” added Kola-Ogunlade.

Some Nigeria Elections Trends:

Google said it is committed to making search useful for Nigerians, and the Nigeria Elections Trends Hub is one of many initiatives that we are undertaking to support the 2023 elections, including training for new and media publishers and support for journalists, to help them tell more engaging stories.

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Today, it has expanded to more than 100 countries and territories around the world and captured more than 10 million miles of imagery–a distance that could circle the globe more than 400 times!

To celebrate Street View’s 15th anniversary, Google Maps has released data which shows the most clicked beaches, museums and general points of interest in Nigeria over the past 12 months. 

Google Street View revealed that the most clicked beach in Nigeria over the past year is  Oniru Beach Resort, a privately owned beach resort located in Lagos, Nigeria. 

Other top beaches clicked in Nigeria in the past year are Elegushi Royal Beach and Marwa Beach; both also located in Lagos State.

The National Museum in Benin City , Edo State, famous for its terracotta, bronze and cast iron artifacts related to the Benin Empire was the most clicked on museum in Nigeria in the past year.

In second and third positions are the National War Museum in Umuahia, Abia State which showcases the military history of Nigeria with relics from the Biafra-Nigerian Civil War and Kalakuta Museum in Ikeja, Lagos which preserves the artifacts of the legendary King of Afrobeat, Fela Kuti.

All in Lagos State, the Bariga Waterfront Jetty, Nike Art Gallery, and Lekki Conservation Centre, were the three most clicked on places of interest in the country.

Other places of interest identified by citizens in Nigeria include the University of Ibadan, in Oyo State and University of Benin in Edo State.

Globally, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, received the most clicks for any other place of interest, followed by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France and the Taj Mahal in India.  

Here are the lists of the top clicked on museums, beaches and points of interests in Nigeria over the past twelve months:

The post Google Street View Turns 15: See Top Clicks by Nigerians appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.