Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited, the country’s satellite operator, has raised an alarm that Nigeria may lose a $1.2 trillion share of the global Artificial Intelligence economy by 2030.
NIGCOMSAT’s Managing Director, Nkechi Egerton-Idehen, made this known in a statement issued on Friday.
Her comment follows her participation in the 12th Regular Meeting of the National Council for Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, held in Makurdi, Benue State.
According to her, the Nigerian government needs to act fast in harnessing opportunities in the AI economy.
She added that by 2030, AI would contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy.
“Artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, economies, and societies worldwide, with projections that it will contribute up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030. Africa stands to gain $1.2tn of this if the right policies and innovations are in place,” Egerton-Idehen said, citing a PricewaterhouseCoopers report.
“AI offers us the chance to not only flourish economically but also to achieve food security. However, we must ask ourselves if we are prepared to manage this technology responsibly,” she added.