Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Bosun Tijani
By CALLISTUS OFFOR, Abuja –
Nigerian government and Meta have partnered to launch the Llama Impact Accelerator, a groundbreaking program designed to harness the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive national development and address pressing challenges.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, announced this initiative, highlighting its significance in nurturing a thriving AI ecosystem in Nigeria.
Tijani emphasized that the government views AI as a key tool for tackling national challenges, and this partnership is a crucial step towards achieving that goal.
“This initiative forms part of Meta’s broader effort to democratise responsible AI and foster local innovation across Nigeria’s growing technology landscape,” he said.
The program aims to cultivate a more inclusive and forward-looking AI community through collaboration with government, academia, and civil society.
The program will target early-stage startups using open-source Llama models to tackle national and regional challenges in four key areas: agriculture, security and safety, healthcare, and a ‘wild card’ category for high-impact innovations in any other field.
According to Sade Dada, Head of Public Policy for Anglophone West Africa at Meta, “The wild card category encourages bold and creative AI applications that could bring substantial impact to underserved sectors.”
The eight-month program will commence with a six-week incubation phase, where participants will receive technical training and mentorship from industry leaders and AI professionals. This will be followed by six months of extended support, including access to further technical resources and relevant opportunities for growth and scaling.
Meta has partnered with the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to deliver this initiative.
Dada noted that Meta is thrilled to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE) on this initiative, recognizing Nigeria’s strong innovation ecosystem and growing pool of AI talent.
“The accelerator offers local talent the infrastructure, tools, and mentorship needed to build responsible solutions using open-source models like Meta’s Llama,” she added.
