Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy Announce N2.8billion Google support to Advance AI Talent Development in Nigeria

The Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy (FMCIDE) today announced new support from Google to accelerate AI talent development across Nigeria. This support, which is provided through a N2.8billion grant from Google.org to Data Science Nigeria, will bolster the Ministry’s ongoing AI-driven initiatives to upskill youth and under- and unemployed Nigerians, with a focus on AI skill development and education. This grant is part of Google.org’s broader $5.8million commitment to support digital skills programs across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, emphasised the importance of this support in driving Nigeria’s digital transformation: “This support from Google is a testament to our commitment to positioning Nigeria as a leader in AI innovation. By leveraging Google’s expertise and resources, we are creating opportunities to equip Nigerians with the skills they need to thrive in the global digital economy. This is a major step forward in our journey towards a more inclusive and innovative future for all Nigerians.”

The N2.8billion Google.org grant will support Data Science Nigeria’s work with the Federal Ministry’s AI talent development programs, including:

DeepTech Ready Upskilling Programme: To provide 20,000 young Nigerians with advanced technical skills in data science and AI, preparing them for careers in this rapidly growing field.

Experience AI Programme: To equip 25,000 educators with the tools and resources to teach 125,000 young people about AI, inspiring the next generation of AI innovators.

Government AI Campus Programme: To upskill policymakers and public servants in AI policymaking, ensuring that Nigeria’s AI policies are developed and implemented responsibly.

Earlier this year, the Ministry set the stage for AI integration in Nigeria by hosting the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (NAIS) Workshop, followed by the release of the National AI Intelligence Strategy. This strategy aims to leverage AI to drive economic growth, improve governance, and enhance the well-being of all Nigerians. This new support from Google.org will build on this strong foundation, further cementing Nigeria’s position as a leader in AI innovation on the continent.

In a significant step toward advancing the AI ecosystem, the Ministry and Google also announced the selected beneficiaries of the AI Fund, established by the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) in collaboration with Google. The Fund will see each selected startup receive ₦100million in funding, along with up to $3.5million in Google Cloud Credits to help scale their solutions. Additionally, these startups will gain access to Google’s world-class AI tools, mentorship from Google’s AI experts, and opportunities to connect with a global network of innovators and partners.

The 10 startups selected for the AI Fund are:

BetaLife Health: Leverages AI to predict demand and match blood types for Africa’s blood supply needs.

Bunce: AI-driven platform that centralises and personalizes customer engagement for businesses

CDIAL AI: Enables seamless text-to-speech and speech-to-text AI functionality in 13 languages across underserved regions.

Farmspeak: Leverages AI to support livestock farmers with disease detection and climate control.

Lendsqr: Streamlines lending operations using AI, empowering global lenders and borrowers.

ProDevs: Connects global companies with vetted African tech talent through AI-driven pre-classification and job matching.

Rana Energy: AI-powered energy management optimising sustainable power for underserved users.

SaaSPro Health: AI-driven healthcare documentation with tailored tools for Nigerian doctors.

Towntalk: Leverages AI to provide contextual security insights for African communities, empowering informed decision making.

Trade Lenda: Streamlines credit analysis for MSMEs using AI, facilitating access to financing.

By focusing on sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, education, and governance, the startups will play a crucial role in addressing local challenges and driving sustainable economic growth through AI.

Matt Brittin, President of Google for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, shared Google’s commitment to Africa’s innovation ecosystem: “Across Africa, entrepreneurs are harnessing the power of technology, including AI, to address large-scale societal challenges. Google remains committed to supporting these innovators, helping them expand their impact across the continent and beyond. Our work in Africa has always been about unlocking the digital economy’s benefits for more people, and this collaboration continues that mission.”

This initiative aligns with a broader report highlighting the economic potential of AI in Nigeria. According to recent findings from Public First, Artificial Intelligence could add as much as $15billion to Nigeria’s economy by 2030. By equipping local entrepreneurs and innovators with the tools, resources, and training needed to leverage AI, this initiative seeks to harness that potential, further reinforcing why this collaboration is vital for Nigeria’s digital future.

It builds on Google’s N1.2billion commitment to Nigeria, announced in 2023, aimed at empowering 20,000 Nigerians through digital skills and economic growth programs.

Through this support, the Ministry, alongside Google, aims to build a sustainable AI ecosystem that will not only foster innovation but also drive economic and social impact across Nigeria.

Russia ‘fines Google $20,000,000,000,000,000, -000,000,000,000,000,000’ – more than all the money in the world

Google has been fined a staggering 20 decillion dollars by a Russian court – more than all the money in the world, according to reports.

The tech giant is facing claims from 17 Russian TV channels after banning their accounts on YouTube, which it owns, as a result of international sanctions.

Pro-Kremlin channels involved in the case reportedly include Russia 1 and the platform belonging to Russia Today presenter and Putin mouthpiece Margarita Simonyan.

A Moscow judge described the legal battle as ‘a case in which there are many, many zeros’, according to news outlet RBC.

The broadcaster reports that the amount of the fine has doubled every week since 2020, and is now up to the equivalent of $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

Google’s recently released interim report for the third quarter shows its total revenue is 88.2 billion dollars – a long way off even thinking about paying the extortionate sum. The penalty also eclipses Google’s $2-trillion market value by a long chalk.

Meanwhile the World Bank estimates the size of the global economy to be around 100 trillion dollars, or 100 followed by 12 zeros.

That figure is at least 20 zeros too little to reach the astronomical Russian fine.

Google closed down its Russian division in 2022 following Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Its Russian subsidiary, Google LLC, declared bankruptcy, but many of its services including its search engine and YouTube have remained accessible to Russians.

While the Kremlin has banned some platforms including Twitter and Facebook, it has so far stopped short of blocking access to Google’s services.

Google has continued to face pressure however for both failing to delete content Moscow deems illegal and restricting access to some Russian media on YouTube.

The video streaming site has banned a number of pro-Moscow pages, including propaganda channel Tsargrad TV, owned by oligarch Konstantin Malofeev, four years ago.

The tech giant is facing claims from 17 Russian TV channels after banning their accounts on YouTube , which it owns

Google was fined a daily penalty of 100,000 rubles and warned that amount would double every 24 hours if it was not paid.

In Russian currency, the fine now amounts to more than 2 undecillion rubles, a 36-digit figure, lawyer Ivan Morozov told the state-owned TASS news agency.

Despite the dizzying sums being demanded by judges in Moscow, Google has remained defiant.

The company said in its last earnings statement: ‘We do not believe these ongoing legal matters will have a material adverse effect.’

It’s unlikely Google will ever get to the point of being fined a googol – ten-duotrigintillion dollars – written as a ten with one hundred zeros.

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Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC halted shipments to a customer this month after its semiconductors were sent to China’s Huawei, a Taipei government official told AFP, potentially breaching US sanctions.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is the world’s largest contract manufacturer of chips used in everything from Apple iPhones to Nvidia’s cutting-edge artificial intelligence hardware.

Huawei, the world’s leading equipment maker for fifth generation mobile internet networks, has been embroiled in a tech war between Beijing and Washington.

The United States slapped sanctions on Huawei in 2019, and expanded them the following year, over fears its technology could be used for Beijing’s espionage operations. Huawei denies the allegations.

The sanctions cut Huawei off from global supply chains that gave it access to the US-made components and technologies crucial to manufacturing powerful AI systems.

The restrictions prevent TSMC from selling semiconductors to Huawei.

But, TSMC discovered on October 11 that chips made for a “specific customer” had ended up with the Chinese company, a Taiwanese official with knowledge of the incident told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

TSMC “immediately activated its export control procedures”, halting shipments to the customer and “proactively” notifying US and Taiwan authorities, the official said.

In a statement on Wednesday, TSMC said it was a “law-abiding company” and had not supplied Huawei since mid-September 2020 in compliance with export controls.

“We proactively communicated with the US Commerce Department regarding the matter in the report,” TSMC said, apparently referring to media reporting of the incident.

“We are not aware of TSMC being the subject of any investigation at this time.”

Taiwan’s economic ministry told AFP on Thursday that TSMC had informed them about the incident, but had not identified their client.

“There was already an interaction and a contractual partnership in place, so it’s an old client,” the ministry said.

They had been a client since before the 2020 deadline for companies to comply with the export controls, and “no shipments have been made since October 11”, it said.

Self-sufficiency

Bloomberg reported Tuesday that Canadian research firm TechInsights had found an advanced processor made by TSMC inside Huawei’s latest AI chip.

Huawei did not respond to AFP’s request for comment.

The company told Bloomberg that it hadn’t “produced any chips via TSMC after the implementation of the amendments made by the US Department of Commerce” to its trade restrictions targeting Huawei in 2020.

In response to US export restrictions, Beijing has turbo-charged a drive for self-sufficiency in chips, with plans to pump billions of dollars into the sector.

Huawei last year unveiled the Mate 60 Pro, a high-performance smartphone equipped with a chip that experts say would be impossible to produce without foreign technologies.

That sparked debate about whether attempts to curb China’s technological advancements have been effective.