Nigerian community pledges land for proposed AI academy

Traditional rulers and community leaders in Omuo-Ekiti, Ekiti State, have offered a substantial parcel of land for a planned Artificial Intelligence Academy. The pledge came during a public hearing for a bill to establish the institution, organized by the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security. Senator Yemi Adaramodu, the bill's sponsor, stated the academy would advance AI education and research across Nigeria, creating jobs and increasing federal presence in the host community.

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The proposed academy would promote and strengthen artificial intelligence education and research in Ekiti State and across Nigeria if passed into law.

The paramount ruler of Omuo-Ekiti, Noah Omonigbehin, represented by Chief Taiwo Alonge, affirmed the community's readiness to host the academy, emphasizing its potential to equip Nigerian youth with global AI skills. Professor Olusola Kolawole, a former Dean at the University of Abuja, highlighted Omuo-Ekiti's strategic location and the availability of local AI expertise. He also pointed out the community's historical lack of federal projects, arguing the academy would address this imbalance.

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The institution would equip youth in Ekiti State and across Nigeria with globally relevant AI skills.

Despite the community's enthusiasm, the proposal arrives amidst concerns about establishing new federal tertiary institutions. The Federal Executive Council previously approved a seven-year moratorium on creating new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education due to funding issues with existing ones. The government cited the need to address these challenges as the reason for the moratorium.

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Establishing the institution would help address the unequal distribution of federal projects, claiming that Omuo-Ekiti has received limited federal presence over the years.