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

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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.

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The Tesla Cybercab Will Have A Surprisingly Small Battery

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18 hours ago

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March 18, 2025

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Il Tesla Cybercab visto dal vivo © insideEvs.com Copyright
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Despite that, Tesla claims an impressive range figure.

  • The Tesla Cybercab is coming next year.
  • With a sub-50-kWh battery pack, Tesla claims it would be able to drive “close to” 300 miles.

The Tesla Cybercab could be the most efficient electric vehicle in the world when it hits the streets sometime next year. That’s what two of the EV maker’s execs alluded to during a brief interview with Sandy Munro that explored some of the robotaxi’s peculiar features.

As a reminder, the Tesla Cybercab is a two-door, two-seater EV that doesn’t have a steering wheel–instead, Tesla claims it will be capable of driving itself and doing double duty as both a personal transport device and a self-driving taxi to bring in revenue for the owner.

It’s Tesla’s smallest car with a roof and it was designed for ultimate efficiency–when driving and during the manufacturing process. As a result, the EV could have a maximum real-world driving range “close to 300 miles” on a full charge, according to Lars Moravy, Tesla’s vice president of vehicle engineering.

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But while that’s not exactly a record-setting figure–the refreshed Model 3 Long Range has an EPA-estimated range of 363 miles–it’s the battery size that impresses. As per Moravy, the Cybercab will have a sub-50-kilowatt-hour battery pack. By comparison, the Model 3 Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive has an estimated usable capacity of 75 kWh.

If true, this would result in a real-world efficiency of 6 miles/kilowatt-hour, which is outstanding. By comparison, the facelifted Model 3, which is one of the most efficient EVs out there, is rated at 4 mi/kWh, while the Lucid Air has an efficiency of 4.3 mi/kWh. In other words, the Tesla Cybercab would have a 50% higher efficiency than the Model 3.

The car’s design and manufacturing techniques help a lot with efficiency. According to Franz Von Holzhausen, Tesla’s Senior Design Executive, the teardrop shape of the car has a big impact on reducing energy consumption. Keeping it light also plays a significant role.

While the two execs did not disclose the weight of the two-door EV, they said that its body is made from unpainted polyurethane panels. The color is added to the panels during the manufacturing process, so even if a panel is scratched, there is no base coat that will show up, making scuffs less visible.

In fact, there is very little paint on the car, which leads to lower manufacturing costs and potentially lower repair costs if something goes wrong.

The two execs reiterated that the Tesla Cybercab is on track for a 2026 commercial launch. Manufacturing equipment is currently being installed at the Texas Gigafactory and the first pre-production units are expected to roll off the assembly line this summer.

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NASA announces Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore’s return date to Earth

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18 hours ago

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March 18, 2025

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NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, along with Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will return to Earth (Image Credit: X/@Commercial_Crew) © Provided by Asian News International (ANI)
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Washington, DC [US], March 17 (ANI): NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, stranded at the International Space Station for over nine months, will return to Earth on Tuesday evening, NASA announced in a statement.

Williams and Wilmore are scheduled to travel back to Earth alongside Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.

NASA will provide live coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 return to Earth from the International Space Station, beginning with Dragon spacecraft hatch closure preparations at 10:45 pm EDT on Monday. NASA and SpaceX met on Sunday to assess weather and splashdown conditions off Florida’s coast for the return of the agency’s Crew-9 mission from the International Space Station.

In a statement, NASA stated, “NASA will provide live coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 return to Earth from the International Space Station, beginning with Dragon spacecraft hatch closure preparations at 10:45 p.m. EDT Monday, March 17.”

“NASA and SpaceX met on Sunday to assess weather and splashdown conditions off Florida’s coast for the return of the agency’s Crew-9 mission from the International Space Station. Mission managers are targeting an earlier Crew-9 return opportunity based on favorable conditions forecasted for the evening of Tuesday, March 18,” it added.

According to a NASA statement, the updated return target continues to allow the space station crew members time to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility before less-favourable weather conditions are expected later in the week.

Mission managers will continue monitoring weather conditions in the area, as Dragon’s undocking relies on several factors, including spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors. NASA and SpaceX will confirm the specific splashdown location closer to the Crew-9 return, according to the statement.

SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov docked with International Space Station, Space X CEO Elon Musk announced on Sunday.

On Friday, SpaceX and NASA launched a mission to bring back US astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the ISS, where they have been stranded for nine months. The lift-off took place at 7:03 ET on Friday, with a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-10 mission.

The launch came after US President Donald Trump urged Elon Musk to rescue the stranded astronauts sooner than NASA had planned. He has repeatedly accused former US President Joe Biden of abandoning them in space.

Wilmore and Williams have been stranded on the ISS for nine months after reaching there in June last year. They were supposed to stay there for about a week. The astronauts were transported from Earth to the ISS aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.

However, the spacecraft came back to Earth unmanned in September. This came after NASA and Boeing identified “helium leaks and experienced issues with the spacecraft reaction control thrusters” on June 6 as Starliner approached the space station. (ANI)

(more…)

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SpaceX’s Starship to leave for Mars end of 2026, Musk says

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4 days ago

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March 15, 2025

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Despite recent failures, Elon Musk insisted the world’s most powerful rocket will soon blast off to the Red Planet. The tech billionaire said human landings could begin before the end of the decade.

Provided by Deutsche Welle
© SpaceX/AFP

 

SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Friday that his company’s massive Starship rocket would leave for Mars at the end of 2026, carrying with it Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus.

In a post on X, Musk also suggested that human landings on Mars could begin as early as 2029 if the initial landings go well, though 2031 was more likely.

The update follows several recent disappointments for the world’s first private space firm and Musk’s long-term vision of colonizing Mars.

What is Starship and what will it do?

Starship — the world’s largest and most powerful rocket — is key to Musk’s plan to colonize Mars.

At 403 feet (123 meters) tall, about 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty, the rocket is designed to eventually be fully reusable.

Designed for deep space exploration, it is hoped Starship will make missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, making space travel more cost-effective and efficient.

NASA is also awaiting a modified version of Starship as a lunar lander for its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon this decade.

However, before those missions can take place, Space X must prove the vehicle is reliable, safe and capable of complex in-orbit refueling, which is critical for deep space missions.

Multiple test flights of the Starship prototype have taken place, with several failures but also milestones like reaching space.

Earlier this month, SpaceX faced a setback when its latest test flight ended in a fiery explosion, its second failure this year.

Despite this, the firm’s approach of “fail fast, learn fast” has helped it become the world’s dominant launch services provider.

On March 6, a SpaceX Starship rocket exploded after liftoff, a second failure this year© @_ericloosen_ via REUTERS

What is Optimus?

Also known as Tesla Bot, Optimus is a humanoid robot being developed by Musk’s electric vehicle company.

It’s designed to perform repetitive, dangerous, or mundane tasks that humans would rather avoid.

The tech billionaire revealed the robot at an event last year. saying he expects it to retail for $20,000 (€18,300) to $30,000.

Will Trump make Mars a priority?

In November, Reuters news agency cited sources saying that Musk’s dream of transporting humans to Mars would become a bigger national priority under US President Donald Trump.

The sources said that Musk’s desire for reforms of the Federal Aviation Administration, the US space and aviation regulator, could help the Mars ambitions.

Musk has frequently clashed with the FAA, accusing it of over-regulating SpaceX over safety and environmental concerns, which he said has slowed the development of Starship.

Trump also vowed in his inauguration speech in January “to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars.”

However, Musk’s status as one of Trump’s closest advisors and his influence over federal regulators are raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest for his companies, including SpaceX.

Musk’s alignment with Trump, along with accusations of interference in European politics, has made him a target for fierce criticism, political roadblocks and potential legal action.

Trump bought a Tesla this week in a show of support for Musk, whose foray into politics has drawn deep criticism© Getty Images

Edited by: Kieran Burke

Author: Nik Martin (with AFP, Reuters)

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