MTN Nigeria has called for stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors to unlock the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the country.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Karl Toriola, made this appeal while presenting a paper titled “Toward a United AI Strategy for Africa” during a plenary session at the 2025 Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX). The four-day event is themed “Building Continental Digital Foundations for Equitable AI Development.”
Toriola emphasized that Nigeria must prioritize investment in data infrastructure, stable power supply, and skills development to create an enabling environment for AI growth.
“I would love to see a headline that says Nigeria has articulated a clear strategy to advance artificial intelligence. I want to read that the nation has harnessed public and private resources and is executing them with discipline and focus,” he said.
Highlighting existing gaps, he revealed that Nigeria faces an estimated 90-megawatt shortfall in data centre capacity, while demand for AI-driven data is expected to grow 16 times higher than current consumption levels.
Toriola also noted that AI data centres require vast amounts of power — in some cases, comparable to the output of a nuclear power plant per facility. He urged Nigeria to work toward building sovereign data ecosystems supported by strong computing infrastructure.
“Although Nigeria has made some progress in connectivity, there is still a long way to go. Addressing these gaps is crucial if we are to harness the full benefits of AI,” he added.
According to him, MTN remains committed to investing in innovative solutions that will empower individuals, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and large corporations to take advantage of AI opportunities.
The event brought together technology leaders, academia, policymakers, and businesses from across Africa and beyond to deliberate on strategies for equitable AI development.