Abuja:A filmmaker and Artificial Intelligence System Designer, Mr. Onu Abrahams, has called on the Federal Government to focus on enhancing infrastructure, research development, and local technology ownership to boost Nigeria’s technological progress.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Abrahams made this appeal during an interview in Abuja as part of the celebrations for Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary. He highlighted the development of a strong pool of software engineers, founders, designers, and other technology professionals as one of Nigeria’s significant achievements since gaining independence.
He pointed out that Nigerians have successfully built fintech companies, digital payment systems, and other technology businesses that operate internationally. Abrahams expressed confidence that Nigeria is transitioning from merely consuming technology to creating it, especially in areas such as fintech, software, digital payments, and AI. However, he noted that the next challenge is transforming this growing talent and capacity into deeper technological ownership.
Abrahams identified inadequate infrastructure as a major hindrance to the country’s technology development. He cited unreliable electricity, costly internet and computing infrastructure, limited access to capital, and poor access to advanced technology as significant obstacles for innovators. Specifically, he noted challenges with access to Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), cloud computing, and reliable data in AI development.
He urged the Federal Government to focus on providing reliable electricity, affordable internet, broadband, fiber infrastructure, local data centers, and computing facilities. Abrahams emphasized the need for increased investment in research and development to move beyond the use of existing technologies and to foster the creation of AI models, hardware, cybersecurity systems, robotics, and cloud infrastructure.
Abrahams stressed that Nigeria’s main technological objective should be to create and own critical technologies rather than merely operate technologies developed elsewhere. Achieving this goal would require sustained investment in research, computing capacity, and digital infrastructure, along with the development of a stronger market for locally developed technologies. He also underscored the importance of stable government policies to allow technology companies to invest and plan long-term.
He concluded by stating that while Nigeria possesses the necessary talent to develop globally competitive technologies, improvements in infrastructure, research investment, and policy stability are essential for unlocking the country’s full potential and reducing dependence on foreign technologies.