NITDA, Nkenne AI Partner in Bridging the Language Gap for a Smarter Nigeria

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) hosted a strategic engagement with Nkenne AI to explore transformative partnerships in AI-driven language translation. This collaboration aims to solidify Nigeria’s position as a premier continental hub for Artificial Intelligence.

The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, represented by the Dr. Bunmi Ajala, National Director of National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, a Subsidiary of NITDA, underscored the agency’s ambitious roadmap. Central to this vision is achieving 70% digital literacy by 2027, nurturing a robust talent pipeline, and seamlessly integrating AI into public service delivery.

The discussion also highlighted the critical role of high-performance infrastructure—specifically GPUs and TPUs—and the “GovNet” initiative in empowering the local startup ecosystem.

Commenting on this vision, the CEO of Nkenne AI, Michael Odokara-Okigbo, detailed their commitment to localised innovation, emphasising sector-specific AI translations for healthcare, fintech, and governance.

Odokara-Okigbo explained that by advocating for rigorous data processing and offering dedicated support for emerging startups, Nkenne AI is poised to help bridge the linguistic gap in technology.

Together, NITDA and Nkenne AI are focused on building sustainable business models and infrastructure that will drive long-term economic value and innovation across Nigeria.