The Director-General of Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has called on the international community to ensure artificial intelligence (AI) is developed to empower citizens rather than reduce them to passive consumers.
Speaking at a high-level session alongside world leaders, Nobel laureates, and UN representatives, Abdullahi argued that an inclusive digital future must be built on three core pillars: representation, access, and agency.
The panel featured prominent global figures, including the President of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly, Dr. Khalilur Rahman; President of Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta; Prime Minister of Bhutan, Tshering Tobgay; and 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate, Professor Muhammad Yunus.
In his keynote address, the NITDA chief stressed that AI models must integrate local languages, cultural nuances, and regional datasets to remain relevant to developing nations.
Mr. Abdullahi concluded by calling on policymakers and innovators to design AI systems that expand human possibility and deliver tangible improvements to livelihoods across the Global South.
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