The marked success in the deployment of technological innovations like the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and Results Viewing Portal is a huge sign that the election management process is steadily improving. 

Also, the recent revelation by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof Mahmood Yakubu that there were several attempts to hack its system during the Ekiti and Osun Governorship election is another sign that the commission seem to be armed to manage its electoral technology.

At the moment, Nigerians are gradually bidding farewell to the dark days when the voter register was infested with foreign names and those days where election results are being announced while voting is still ongoing.

Recalling the dark days of Nigeria’s electoral journey and how the 22 innovations introduced by the electoral management body including the IREV and BVAS, has enabled the nation moved light years away from its electoral debacle is also worthy of mention.

Recent revelation by Professor Mahmood Yakubu shows that, the commission has conducted 105 elections using the IREV while it has uploaded 32,985 (99.13%) out of a possible 33, 275 having recorded 100% upload rate in the just concluded Ekiti and Osun Governorship elections.

Apart from voting, results management is easily the most critical aspect of election administration as voting is an open and public activity, results management is usually run by a few election officials, mostly outside the glare of the public.

Thus, there is need to promote its transparency in the best possible way. Other innovations that seem to have enhanced the system include, biometric voter registration, Computer-based registration of voters, online pre-registration, Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC) with chip, creating online portals for candidates, observers and political party agents amongst others have gone a long way to standardize Nigeria’s election management system.

While this remains a work in progress towards achieving an election that reaches global standard for credibility and integrity, Nigerians must appreciate its journey towards substantial deployment of electoral technology.

Right from 2011, the electoral commission showed its commitment in improving the conduct of elections while leveraging on technology via the introduction of Smart Card Readers. While the introduction of the Smart Card Reader (SCR) and its use in recording accreditation data was crucial in limiting malpractice and voting by proxy, the fact that it wasn’t backed by law means the process was manipulated as the manual process was legally recognized in the law.

Despite this, the SMR played important role in assisting the Presiding Officer to be “satisfied” that the Permanent Voters Card being presented is a legitimate card for voting, and that the voter is actually the person in the register, both of which are required by the law.

This is the beginning of technological trajectory of Nigeria’s election even as election stakeholders continued to push for an electoral amendment that legalizes deployment of technology and electronic transmission of election results.

So far, the major turning point in Nigeria’s electoral process was the breakthrough that came with the new Electoral Act 2022, which empowered the Commission to adopt electronic means for both accreditation and results management. Indeed, the persistence of the Commission on these issues, particularly in the management of results are now well-expressed in extant legal framework, administrative procedures and technological innovations introduced in recent times by the Commission.

It is however imperative to state that while election stakeholders revel over technology, the innovations does not entirely jettison the manual process rather it serves as an effective quality assurance and standardization gauge in electoral administration.

However, its not yet time for complacency as the 2023 elections which is considered one of the biggest elections in the continent is upon us.

The challenges ahead of cannot be underestimated in order to avoid any window that could be harnessed by politicians to discredit the process. Nigeria’s voter register must be accurately audited to provide the authentic figures of registered voter while a steady update of Permanent Voters Card (PVCs) should be available in the public space.

Thus, before elections, the data for PVCs collected can further promote transparency and further be used to determine the percentage of voter turnout. Also, there is need to intensify the training of adhoc staff to enable effective handling of technological devices. This will avert situations where wrong forms and, in some cases, unstamped forms were uploaded on the IREV during the Ekiti and Osun Governorship elections as 2023 beckons.

With barely five months to the very important general elections, there is no doubt that some elements are not relenting in developing their own stratagem to circumvent and manipulate the process as recent electoral experience shows that the commission seem to be one step ahead for the very first time.

Other election stakeholders especially the Nigerian security agencies and Civil Society Organisations have important roles to play in protecting the sanctity of the electoral process before, during and after the elections.

This will not just boost citizens confidence in the process but will also increase citizens participation in the process to hit at least 50% voter turnout mark.

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Olasupo Abideen is a good governance, youth investment and public policy enthusiast. Abideen serves as the Kwara state coordinator of the NotTooYoungToRun movement and the executive director, Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative.

Please send comments and feedback to abideenolasupo@gmail.com  

He tweets @opegoogle

The post 2023 Polls: Electoral Technology as Potential Game-Changer appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Yet as our digital footprint grows, so too do the risks. Cybercrime, data breaches, online harassment, misinformation, and technology-facilitated abuse are no longer abstract threats.

They are lived realities. This moment calls for a serious strengthening of Nigeria’s digital safety laws; beyond what currently exists to protect citizens and build trust in the digital ecosystem.

Nigeria is not starting from zero. The Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP Act) was a landmark law that expanded legal protections against physical, sexual, psychological, and emotional abuse. Importantly, the Act recognizes forms of harassment, intimidation, and harmful conduct that can occur through electronic means. In theory, this provides a legal basis for addressing certain online abuses.

In practice, however, the VAPP Act was not designed for today’s complex digital environment, and that limitation is increasingly evident.

One major gap is scope. The VAPP Act treats online abuse largely as an extension of offline violence, rather than as a distinct category with its own dynamics.

Technology-facilitated harms such as coordinated cyberbullying, doxxing, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, deepfake abuse, algorithm-driven amplification of harassment, and large-scale disinformation campaigns fall into legal grey areas. Victims are often forced to stretch existing provisions to fit harms the law never anticipated.

Another gap is clarity and accessibility. Many Nigerians experiencing online abuse do not know whether the VAPP Act applies to their situation, where to report digital harm, or which agency has jurisdiction.

This uncertainty discourages reporting and leaves victims; particularly women, journalists, activists, and young people without effective remedies.

A digital safety framework should offer clear definitions, reporting pathways, and timelines for action. The VAPP Act, as currently structured, does not provide this clarity for online contexts.

There is also a significant enforcement gap. Even where the VAPP Act could apply to online harm, enforcement is weak. Law enforcement agencies often lack training in digital evidence preservation, platform data requests, and cyber investigations.

Cases involving online abuse are slow, inconsistently handled, or quietly abandoned. A law that cannot be effectively enforced offers little protection, no matter how well intentioned it is.

Perhaps most critically, the VAPP Act does not adequately address platform responsibility. Modern digital harm is rarely caused by individuals alone; it is often enabled or amplified by platform design choices, weak moderation systems, and opaque algorithms.

Nigeria’s legal framework places minimal obligations on technology companies to prevent harm, respond quickly to reports, or design safer digital spaces. Without clear duties and penalties for non-compliance, platforms have little incentive to prioritize user safety.

Child online protection further exposes the limits of existing laws. While the VAPP Act criminalizes abuse, it does not provide a comprehensive framework for preventing children’s exposure to harmful content, online grooming, or exploitation on digital platforms.

Stronger, child-specific digital safety standards; combined with public education, are urgently needed.

Strengthening Nigeria’s digital safety laws, therefore, does not mean discarding the VAPP Act. It means building on it. Nigeria needs a modern, dedicated digital safety framework that works alongside existing criminal and human rights laws. Such a framework should clearly define technology-facilitated harms, establish platform obligations, protect personal data, prioritize child safety, and equip institutions with the tools to enforce the law effectively; while safeguarding freedom of expression.

Crucially, these reforms must be developed through inclusive consultation with civil society, legal experts, journalists, technology companies, and everyday users. Laws written without stakeholder input risk being either toothless or dangerously overbroad.

Nigeria stands at a crossroads. We can continue trying to force 21st-century digital harms into 20th-century legal frameworks, or we can acknowledge the limits of existing laws and act decisively. The VAPP Act was a milestone; but it was never meant to be the final word on digital safety.

A safer digital Nigeria will not emerge by accident. It will be built through deliberate, thoughtful reform; one that recognizes that online harm is real harm, and that citizens deserve protection wherever they exist, including online.

*Olasupo Abideen is the co-founder of HerSafeSpace Initiative and TFGBV enthusiast.
Please send comments and feedback to abideenolasupo@gmail.com. He tweets @opegoogle.

The post Strengthening Nigeria’s Digital Safety Laws – Why the VAPP Act is not Enough appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Receiving 30,252 applications from all the 36 states of Nigeria, the pitching finale of the CivicTech Hackathon took place on Wednesday, August 15, 2022, at Grand Pela Hotel and Suites, Abuja.

Among the 30,252 applications received, 81 viable ideas were shortlisted for the next stage, out of which seven top solutions were selected for the final pitch after receiving mentorship opportunities from experts.

The Hackathon was in partnership with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI), dHub, AfriLabs, seedbuilders, alivon, Webfala Digital Skills For All Initiative, TechEconomy.Ng, Online Hub Educational Services, MALhub, and equilibrium zone.org, as well as other stakeholders.

Giving the welcome speech, Olasupo Abideen, Executive Director of Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative, stated the aim of the Hackathon to be bringing together young social innovators and developers between the ages of 18 and 35 to develop ideas, build skills and connect with others working towards a shared goal of strengthening the electoral process and civic participation in governance in Nigeria. 

Abideen encouraged Nigerians to put in more efforts to change the current state of the country, emphasising that a great hindrance to the country’s progress is the lack of “courage to change things we can” and the leadership has not been on a great pedestal.

“The average Nigerian, youth especially, is politically numb. Years of electoral violence, vote buying, and rigging have stoked deep feelings of betrayal and mistrust in governance and election. Since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, the country has recorded massive voter apathy because of unhealed wounds of electoral malpractice,” he said.

“The trend has fluctuated over two decades, falling to an all-time low in the last general elections which saw only 35.66% turn out (28,614,190 cast votes out of 84,004,084 registered voters) despite the excitement that distinguished the 2019 general elections.”

He further emphasised that Nigerians have the power to cause the change they wish and yearn for, linking this to the #EndSARS protests which he said had revealed that Nigerians are capable of mobilizing both human and material resources to achieve set objectives. 

“At Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI), we are channelling this energy into the electoral process; the only decisive tool Nigerians have to author the happy-ending story they want to read,” he explained.

At the end of the day’s pitch, the team with the most promising solution was awarded ₦2 million to execute their proposed solution. 

The cash prize was disbursed at every project milestone so that the funds would be utilised effectively. As for the first and second runners-up, the Hackathon received support from NITDA to mentor, incubate and fund their respective solutions. 

To make the game a win-win for all, the organisers sought to merge the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th positions with the first three if that would bring a stellar result. “We are doing this in the sole interest of the country; therefore, everyone is a winner as long as we achieve our common goal.”

Commending Yvote Naija’s efforts so far, Abideen noted that the organisation has been on its toes to make the coming general elections a different story, through partnerships with stakeholders in States such as Abuja, Ekiti, Osun and donated generously to the success of the Hackathon.

Conclusively, Abideen said the future of Nigeria lies as much in the choice of leadership we make as in our decision to either be active participants or passive wishers. 

“Eminent listeners, our long walk to freedom has started and everyone should join this campaign towards liberation. We all should mobilise people to participate in elections and encourage them to cast their ballots for candidates. If everyone does the job, the job certainly gets done.”

The post CivicTech Hackathon: Nigeria’s Biggest Obstacle is the Lack of Courage to Change Things We Can — Olasupo Abideen appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

From chatbots in banking to AI-driven tools in health care and agriculture, Nigerians already interact with this technology every day.

Our students and teachers are no exception; many are experimenting with generative AI to draft essays, lesson plans, or job applications.

The real question is not whether they will use AI, but whether they will be prepared to use it wisely, critically, and inclusively.

Around the world, governments are moving fast. China has mandated AI instruction in all schools by 2025. Singapore is training every teacher in AI by 2026. The UK is heavily investing in AI-powered teaching resources.

Even the United States, which has often moved slowly on education reform, recently launched a national strategy on AI literacy, with federal agencies funding teacher training, curriculum development, and public-private partnerships.

The U.S. Blueprint for Action: Comprehensive AI Literacy for All frames AI literacy not as a niche skill but as a civic, economic, and ethical necessity “as important in an English class as in a computer science class.”

These countries understand that AI literacy is foundational for future competitiveness. Nigeria must recognize this too.

With more than 60 percent of our population under 25, Nigeria holds one of the largest pools of young talent in the world.

Properly prepared, our youth could lead globally in AI innovation and entrepreneurship. But without deliberate investment, they risk being left as passive consumers of imported tools, vulnerable to misinformation, surveillance, and bias.

Despite our reputation as Africa’s tech hub, Nigeria’s education system is not ready for this new reality. Too many schools still lack electricity and internet access, leaving rural students at risk of exclusion.

Teachers have received little to no training in digital or AI tools, making it difficult for them to guide students responsibly.

Policy remains fragmented, with the recently launched National Artificial Intelligence Strategy yet to shape curricula or practice in schools.

Worse, existing inequities especially those faced by girls and low-income families risk being amplified if AI access remains uneven.

The experiences of other nations show what is possible. In Singapore, children are introduced to AI concepts from primary school, while older students debate its ethical dilemmas.

The U.S. is embedding AI literacy into teacher training programs and funding experimental “AI learning hubs” that connect schools, industries, and communities.

The lesson for Nigeria is clear: AI literacy must be cross-disciplinary and developmentally aligned. It should not be siloed in ICT classes but woven across subjects and grade levels; helping young pupils understand how recommendation systems shape their online choices, enabling secondary school students to critique AI bias in social media, and preparing university graduates to explore AI’s applications in law, medicine, agriculture, and business.

But beyond what we teach, we must also ask: who are we designing AI literacy for and who owns it? Any framework or curriculum must be rooted in the realities of the learners themselves. If communities do not see themselves in the design, it risks being another imported model.

Ownership matters: when people feel empowered not only to use AI but also to shape and adapt it to their needs, the solutions grow closer to the problems they face.

This means farmers learning not just how to operate an AI app but how to question its assumptions, students not just generating text but interrogating bias, and communities co-creating AI tools that reflect their languages, values, and lived experiences. AI literacy in Nigeria must be about agency, not just access.

AI literacy, therefore, is about more than technical skills. It demands social and ethical grounding. AI systems are not neutral; they reflect the values and biases of those who design them.

In Nigeria, this raises urgent questions. What happens when recruitment algorithms disadvantage women? What risks arise when AI-driven misinformation spreads during elections?

How can fintech and EdTech platforms safeguard citizens’ data in a country with weak privacy protections? Preparing Nigerians to ask and answer these questions is as important as teaching them how to code.

The economic stakes are also high. AI is reshaping industries from banking to entertainment, creating new winners and losers in the labour market. Workers who understand AI will thrive; those who do not risk being displaced.

Nigeria needs to integrate AI literacy into vocational schools, apprenticeships, and adult training, ensuring that workers in all sectors; from agriculture to fintech can adapt.

One promising idea, borrowed from U.S. initiatives, is to establish regional “AI learning hubs” where schools, universities, and industries collaborate to provide skills relevant to local economies.

A hub in Benue could focus on smart agriculture, while one in Lagos could emphasize fintech and creative industries.

At the same time, we must avoid a generation of “AI copy-pasters.” Around the world, educators warn of “cognitive offloading,” where students rely on AI to complete tasks instead of engaging in critical thinking.

This is already happening in Nigeria, where students use AI tools to generate assignments or CVs. Without guidance, we risk raising young people who can use AI but cannot question, innovate, or lead with it. True AI literacy must encourage active, critical engagement, not passive consumption.

Nigeria is at a crossroads. Globally, more than two-thirds of students and educators already use generative AI, but only a minority of schools provide structured guidance.

Our youth are eager and experimenting, but they lack national support. If we act now, we can turn this into a national advantage. That means embedding AI into curricula, training teachers, investing in infrastructure, and ensuring communities; from urban centers to rural villages are included.

It means partnerships between government, telecoms, EdTech startups, and NGOs to expand access. It means seeing AI literacy not just as a technical skill, but as a public good; essential for democracy, equity, and economic resilience.

AI will define the future of work, learning, and governance. The real question is whether Nigeria will define that future for itself, or allow it to be defined for us. The world is moving quickly. With bold leadership, Nigeria can prepare every learner not only to thrive, but also to shape and own solutions in the age of AI. The time to act is now.

The post From Users to Creators: Building AI Literacy for Every Nigerian appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Picture a world where misinformation is quickly and accurately addressed, ensuring that the public has access to reliable information.

These visions are becoming a reality thanks to Meta’s groundbreaking Llama technology and the innovators harnessing its power to drive change in Africa.

Recent breakthroughs in AI, and generative AI in particular, have captured the public’s imagination and demonstrated what those developing these technologies have long known — they have the potential to help people do incredible things, create a new era of economic and social opportunities, and give individuals, creators, and businesses new ways to express themselves and connect with people.

As part of Meta’s commitment to open science, the company announced the release of Llama (Large Language Model Meta AI) in February 2023, a cutting-edge foundational large language model designed to advance research in AI.

Like other large language models, Llama works by taking a sequence of words as input and predicting the next word to recursively generate text.

Following this initial release, Meta introduced Llama 2, Llama 3, Llama 3.1 and the most recent iteration, Llama 3.2.

Over the past few years, Meta’s Llama models have demonstrated new capabilities, including generating creative text, solving mathematical theorems, predicting protein structures and answering reading comprehension questions.

The two largest models of the Llama 3.2 collection, 11B and 90B, support image reasoning use cases, such as document-level understanding including charts and graphs, captioning of images, and visual grounding tasks such as directionally pinpointing objects in images based on natural language descriptions.

The lightweight 1B and 3B models are also highly capable with multilingual text generation and tool calling abilities.

With more than 400 million downloads, companies are using Llama to create localised educational content, summarise video calls, and provide medical information in low-resource settings.

These projects highlight the significant potential AI has to benefit billions of people worldwide.

As technology continues to evolve, innovative minds across Africa are leveraging its power to address pressing social challenges and drive meaningful change.

Two such innovators, Dr. Olubayo (Bayo) Adekanmbi and Olasupo Abideen Opeyemi, are at the forefront of this movement, using Meta’s Llama technology to create solutions that have the potential to transform lives in health, education, finance and digital governance.

Dr. Olubayo (Bayo) Adekanmbi: Leveraging Llama 2 for Social Good

Olubayo Adekanmbi, the CEO of Data Science Nigeria (now known as equalyzAI), is a leading figure in AI research and development.

He’s passionate about using AI to empower individuals and bridge the digital divide. EqualyzAI is building a unique hyperlocal multimodal dataset, models and APIs that unlock the potential of generative AI for native dialect speakers in Africa.

They focus on creating Large Language Models (LLMs) for African languages that can be fine-tuned in response to specific health, finance, agriculture and education needs.

One such innovation is a personalised learning platform, ULearn, built with Llama 2. This platform allows students, teachers and even parents to generate multimedia learning content for elementary science that caters to students’ individual needs, enhancing their learning experience and engagement. Imagine personalised lesson plans, flashcards and animated videos tailored to the needs of every student!

This revolutionary approach transforms education from a one-size-fits-all model to a personalised learning journey.

Additionally, equalyzAI empowers market women with financial literacy tools, fostering economic growth and community stability. Their AI-driven healthcare solutions also improve accessibility and coverage, especially in underserved regions.

Olasupo Abideen Opeyemi: Revolutionising Fact-Checking with Llama 3

Olasupo Abideen Opeyemi, a youth leader and researcher, is dedicated to leveraging technology for social good.

His focus is on the transformative potential of digital governance in driving positive social change. Olasupo has developed various civic tech products to enhance public engagement and digital governance.

Among them is MyAIFactChecker, which tackles the critical issue of misinformation by providing accurate and user-friendly fact-checking capabilities.

MyAIFactChecker Fact-checks Information in Three Main Nigerian Languages in 30 Seconds

MyAIFactChecker leverages Llama 3’s advanced capabilities to address the misinformation problem effectively.

Llama 3’s state-of-the-art contextual understanding and generative AI capabilities enhance the accuracy and relevance of fact-checking.

This user-friendly platform, MyAIFactChecker, supports multiple languages, including French, Swahili and Nigerian local languages, offering a truly inclusive user experience. This multilingual capability, combined with the voice option for fact-checking, breaks down language barriers and offers a more inclusive user experience.

One of the primary impacts of MyAIFactChecker is its ability to rapidly and accurately assess the validity of claims. Traditional fact-checking methods often struggle with the sheer volume of information and can be slow to respond.

By utilising Llama 3 and advanced search APIs, MyAIFactChecker automates the process, allowing for real-time analysis of claims against a broad range of sources.

These models’ advanced contextual understanding and generative capabilities enable the platform to deliver nuanced, detailed responses that go beyond simple true/false evaluations.

This results in more accurate and informative fact-checking that reflects the complexities of the claims.

Olubayo Adekanmbi and Olasupo Abideen are leading the charge in using AI for social good, demonstrating how Meta’s Llama technology can be harnessed to address critical challenges in education, healthcare and misinformation.

Their work not only showcases the transformative potential of AI but also underscores the importance of innovative approaches to solving some of the most pressing issues facing Africa today.

Through their efforts, they are paving the way for a future where technology serves as a powerful catalyst for positive societal change.

The post How Adekanmbi, Opeyemi Leverage Meta’s Llama Technology to Drive Social Good Initiatives in Nigeria   appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Twenty-four years into Nigeria’s transition to a democratic system of government, concerns persist regarding the extent to which Nigerians can enjoy the benefits of practicing this system.

Despite apprehensions about the country’s development rate and its impact on the African region, there is a significant optimism that a democratic system of government guarantees freedom of expression and, to a large extent, upholds human rights.

This hope has fostered the emergence of innovative approaches to combat democratic issues such as corruption, electoral malpractice, and political exclusion.

One of the latest trends aimed at optimizing the dividends and positive impact of democracy involves the deployment of advanced technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), to digital solutions that promote anti-corruption measures, citizen participation, and the supremacy of the law.

As the saying goes, democracy is a system of government that revolves around the people. Therefore, it is essential to continually empower the people and harness their potential for development.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made significant strides in various fields such as agriculture, technology, and digital health, and it has now made a grand entrance into government systems. Considering the current state of democracy in Africa, African governments cannot afford to lag behind in adopting this innovation.

The introduction of AI in government systems stems from the growing demand for participatory and deliberative forms of democracy, including budget tracking, social audits, and transparent online voting systems.

In the recently concluded 2023 general elections, it appeared that candidates and political parties devoted more money and time to engaging with citizens online. This indicates a potential digital shift in democratic institutions and frameworks, presenting new dynamics for revitalizing the system. According to a report published by the Innovation in Politics Institute and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), public officeholders often lack the experience to identify and select suitable digital tools to promote citizen participation. Additionally, the lack of political will, particularly in developing countries like Nigeria, may have significantly contributed to the limited or absence of deployment of AI tech tools that could enhance citizens’ education and participation in the process.

One can recall the sustained advocacy for #OpenNASS, where Nigerians advocated for transparent legislative processes, and how it took a considerable amount of time before the National Assembly reluctantly and partially provided information about the salaries and allowances of lawmakers in Nigeria. Now, the latest demand from Nigerians is the implementation of technology to identify lawmakers and their voting decisions when it comes to the passage of important bills in the National Assembly.

It has become perplexing that lawmakers publicly support certain crucial bills that align with the aspirations of Nigerians, only to vote against them in secret. Unfortunately, Nigerians are unable to identify the lawmakers who voted against these bills, which they had overwhelmingly planned to support.

There is a clear need for more transparency, especially during deliberations and voting on the passage of bills.

For instance, during the constitutional amendment process, lawmakers overwhelmingly voted against bills that aimed to promote gender inclusion and equity.

If Nigerians could identify the lawmakers who voted against such bills, it would significantly influence citizens’ voting decisions in the 2023 general elections. Imagine a Nigeria where citizens are aware of and participate in the decision-making process of their lawmakers, governors, president, and other representatives through the deployment of AI technology. This would greatly contribute to citizen education, enabling them to understand how systems work, identify issues, track impact, and increase participation in governance.

As a technology that analyzes complex data, algorithms, and online research feedback, AI has a significant opportunity to optimize its system and tailor it to meet contextual demands. In this regard, citizens would only need to ask specific questions about policy implementation, budgeting, and other matters to receive critical information about how the state is being managed.

Recently, several democracy technology platforms have capitalized on the AI boom to introduce new features and enhance existing ones. For example, Citizen Lab utilizes AI to identify key themes and trends in collected data, facilitating online consultations, surveys, and discussion forums.

It also employs machine learning to analyze the tone and sentiment of comments. Polis, from the Computational Democracy Project, uses AI to guide group discussions and identify areas of agreement and disagreement among participants by collecting statements and submissions and circulating them for agreement, disagreement, or further discussion. Other democracy technology tools that employ AI include Adhocracy for input categorization and moderation assistance, and ZenCity for trend and theme identification.

One of the most intriguing aspects of adopting and deploying AI technologies to advance democracies is the seamless nature that allows citizens to participate effectively, mostly from the comfort of their own homes. However, this convenience comes with surmountable concerns regarding data security, funding, digital dependency, potential exclusion, and other ethical implications that must be deliberately addressed if AI is to play a crucial role in advancing democracies and promoting political education and participation.

Considering that digital technological tools always require personal information such as biographies, demographics, emails, and phone numbers, concerns arise regarding the ownership and security of such data collected by AI.

This is a major issue, particularly in a country lacking essential laws that protect citizens’ data privacy. Consequently, it becomes imperative for the National Assembly to expedite the passage of the Data Protection Bill currently awaiting consideration, as it would establish a framework to prevent the misuse of personal data.

Last, deploying AI tech tools requires huge financial, structural, and human investment at all levels of government. Thus, it is crucial for all levels of government, political parties, communication and digital ministries, agencies, and the private sector to collaborate in developing AI tools that promote deliberative participation. This collaboration will greatly enhance the legitimacy of power and contribute to the effective adoption and deployment of these tools in Nigeria’s democratic system.

About the Writer:

Olasupo Abideen is a good governance, youth investment, and public policy enthusiast. Abideen, the Global Director of Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative, also serves as the Kwara State coordinator of the NotTooYoungToRun movement.

Please send comments and feedback to abideenolasupo@gmail.com

He tweets @opegoogle

The post Exploring Artificial Intelligence for Enhanced Deliberative Democracy appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.