Nigeria's Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, has called for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the detection and management of Tuta Absoluta-induced tomato diseases. The pest is considered a major threat to one of the country's most consumed crops.
The Minister made the remarks during the keynote address at the inaugural virtual public lecture series organised by the Ministry in partnership with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Lagos Business School (LBS).
The lecture, organised under the Nigeria Artificial Intelligence Research Scheme (NAIRS), was titled "Using AI for the Early Detection and Management of Tuta Absoluta-Induced Tomato Diseases." It showcased a solution developed by the Tomato Ebola Research Consortium.
The consortium team includes Dr Aniebietabasi Ackley, Team Leader (New Zealand); Dr Harisu Abdullahi, Principal Investigator (New Zealand); Mark Marvellous, Technical Investigator (UK/Canada); and Ofem Eteng, Industry Advisor (Nigeria). The group is one of 45 recipients of Nigeria's inaugural AI Research Grant aimed at addressing agricultural challenges through AI.
Speaking at the event, Dr Tijani said: "In many ways, building a strong AI ecosystem has been a driver for the initiatives we deploy in the Ministry. What we are witnessing today is the beginning of a series of public lectures that are based on research projects that can be extended into the development of startups and AI applications to solve problems that are common to us in our nation. This will offer us an opportunity to demonstrate strong leadership across the continent and beyond."
The NAIRS lecture series is intended to highlight domestic research projects with the potential to evolve into startups and scalable AI applications addressing national priorities. By linking researchers, policymakers, and innovators, the initiative reflects Nigeria's efforts to use digital technologies for economic development, food security, and competitiveness.
Dr Tijani added, "As many of you would know, one of the reasons why the government is bullish about AI is its potential to increase our productivity, thereby raising our nation's GDP. AI and digital technology can help us develop our agriculture sector, and we hope that this will be an inspiration to many other researchers across the country. With this public lecture series, I do hope that Nigeria will begin to show the world that we are not just paying lip service to AI but we're truly building it to improve the lot of our people to achieve shared prosperity."
He commended the researchers' work in applying AI to agriculture and stated that NAIRS demonstrates how Nigerian research can have an impact domestically, regionally, and globally.
The inaugural lecture marks the start of a continuing series under NAIRS, with future sessions expected to feature AI projects across healthcare, security, climate change, and education.
Source: VON