By Fatimah Yusuf Usman
In a world the place synthetic intelligence is usually portrayed as a drive threatening to displace human labour, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the Director-Basic of the Nationwide Data Expertise Improvement Company (NITDA), provides a unique perspective.
He sees AI not as a rival to human intelligence however as a strong software for enhancing productiveness and effectivity. On Monday, March 17, 2025, at NITDA’s First Quarter Basic Employees Assembly, Abdullahi addressed his workforce with a message that challenged standard fears about AI.
Whereas many view AI as a risk to job safety, he described it as a transformative drive that, somewhat than changing people, has the potential to enhance their work. He acknowledged that AI might take over practically half of the duties at the moment carried out by individuals however emphasised that this shift shouldn’t be seen as a loss.
As a substitute, he urged his viewers to acknowledge the immense alternatives it presents. The rising concern that AI will result in widespread unemployment usually overshadows the advantages it provides.
The NITDA Chief Government believes the main focus must be on how AI can relieve staff of repetitive and time-consuming duties, permitting them to channel their power into extra complicated, strategic, and artistic endeavors. The influence of AI is already seen throughout numerous industries.
In healthcare, AI-driven diagnostics and knowledge processing are enabling docs to spend extra time attending to sufferers. In inventive industries, AI is offering analytical help that helps human professionals make higher choices with out diminishing their originality.
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Past effectivity, AI integration within the office might additionally rework work-life stability. As AI takes over routine duties, workers could discover extra time to deal with self-improvement, leisure, and household, with out compromising productiveness.
A correctly managed AI-powered workforce might in the end result in improved well-being and diminished stress. Whereas talking additional on the assembly, Kashifu Inuwa urged NITDA employees to embody professionalism, innovation, and dedication of their roles.
He harassed that NITDA’s success in shaping Nigeria’s digital transformation is determined by these core values. Professionalism ensures that the company stays a reputable establishment inside the know-how sector.
Innovation fosters groundbreaking concepts that drive digital progress. Dedication displays the eagerness required to make lasting contributions to the nation’s technological development.
For AI to really function a accomplice in progress, Nigeria should embrace insurance policies that encourage upskilling and digital literacy. Staff must be ready for an period the place AI doesn’t exchange them however works alongside them.
Addressing moral issues reminiscent of knowledge privateness and algorithmic bias can be important in guaranteeing that AI improvement aligns with societal values. Certainly, Kashifu Inuwa’s perspective challenges the widespread narrative of AI as a competitor to human intelligence.
The NITDA helmsman envisions a future the place AI empowers individuals to be extra environment friendly, inventive, and strategic of their professions. The problem forward lies not in resisting AI however to find methods to harness its potential to construct a better, extra adaptive workforce.
If Nigeria adopts this strategy, it is not going to merely modify to technological developments; it’ll take a number one position in shaping them.
Fatimah Yusuf Usman is a serving corps member at PRNigeria Centre, Abuja. She may be reached through: [email protected].*
