Business

Google Grant Nigeria N2.8bn AI Fund

Published

2 years ago

October 31, 2024

OCHEFA

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Bosun Tijani, the Minister of Communications, Innovations and Digital economy says the federal government has secured N2.8 billion grant from Google to boost artificial intelligence (AI) talent development in the country.

The Minister discloses this at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday. Tijani said that the support comes one month after the government partnered with Google to launch a N100 million AI fund initiative in Nigeria.

” The fund is part of Google’s $5.8 million commitment to support digital skills programmes across sub-Saharan Africa.

“This support from Google is a testament to our commitment to positioning Nigeria as a leader in AI innovation,” the minister said.

Matt Brittin, President, Google EMEA, said the grant will be implemented in Nigeria through the government’s ongoing three million technical talents (3MTT) programme with a focus on 20,000 Nigerians with AI skills.

The 3MTT, launched on October 13, is a four-year programme aimed at training Nigerians and building the country’s technical talent backbone to power the digital economy and position Nigeria as a net talent exporter.

Brittin added that through the scheme, 125,000 educators will be trained and 10 promising Nigerian AI startups will be empowered with N100 million.

” I am pleased to announce that Google.org is providing N2.8 billion (or approximately $1.7 million) in funding to the Data Scientists Network Foundation, supporting the honourable minister’s vision for AI growth in Nigeria,” Brittin said.

“This funding will be directed toward critical initiatives that advance AI skills and opportunities across the country. Through this grant, we’re supporting the FMCIDE’s 3 Million Technical Talents (3MTT) program, with a focus on equipping 20,000 young Nigerians with advanced skills in AI and data science.

“Additionally, the Experience AI Program, developed with the Raspberry Pi Foundation, will train 25,000 educators to inspire and educate 125,000 young learners, introducing them to AI fundamentals.

The AI Fund, created in collaboration with NCAIR, is providing 10 promising Nigerian AI startups with N100 million in funding, alongside up to $3.5 million in Google Cloud Credits, mentorship from Google engineers, and technical support.”

Brittin said BetaLife Health, Bunce, CDIAL AI, Farmspeak, Lendsqr, ProDevs, Rana Energy, SaaSPro Health, Towntalk and Trade Lenda, are the 10 startups selected for the AI fund.

Related Topics:AI AI fund Featured Google

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Naira Exchange Rates Monday, 20 July

Published

22 hours ago

July 20, 2026

OCHEFA

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BLACK MARKET RATES

US DOLLAR (USD) Buy ₦1, 416 Sell ₦1,422

GREAT BRITISH POUND (GBP) Buy ₦1,895 Sell: ₦1,915

EURO (EUR) Buy ₦1,590 Sell ₦1,610

CANADIAN DOLLAR (CAD) Buy ₦1,020 Sell ₦1,080

SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR) Buy ₦75 Sell ₦90

UAE DIRHAM Buy ₦350 Sell ₦370 CHINESE YUAN Buy ₦190 Sell ₦205

GHANA CEDI (GHS) Buy ₦95 Sell ₦110

WEST AFRICAN CFA Buy ₦2, 300 Sell ₦2, 400

CENTRAL AFRICAN CFA Buy ₦2,150 Sell 2,250

AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Buy ₦800 Sell ₦900

CBN OFFICIAL EXCHANGE RATES

US DOLLAR (USD) ₦1,380.18

GREAT BRITISH POUND (GBP) ₦1,854.42

EURO (EUR) ₦1,577.00

SWISS FRANC (CHF) ₦1,707.94

JAPANESE YEN (JPN) ₦8.50

CHINESE YUAN (CNY) ₦203.57

WEST AFRICAN CFA (XOF) ₦2.40

WEST AFRICAN UNIT ACCOUNT (WAUA) ₦1,874. 32

SAUDI RIYAL (SAR) ₦367.48

SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR) ₦83.29

Business

BUA Foods target expansion into noodles industry

Rabiu described the expansion programme as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s industrial future, emphasising that the company’s growth ambitions are driven by a commitment to national development rather than scale alone.

Published

4 days ago

July 17, 2026

OCHEFA

58 Views

Chairman of the Board of Directors of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu disclosed that it’s food arm – BUA Foods is going into new sectors such as instant noodles because “we see it as a very important sector because of its affordability and its accessibility.”

Rabiu made the disclosure in Abuja on Thursday during the 5th Annual General Meeting of BUA Foods.

He also disclosed that as part of efforts to boost food sufficiency, “we are doubling our wheat milling capacity from over a million to over two million, wheat per annum. And that is huge.”

“We are also tripling the capacity of our edible oil business. In fact, we are setting up a brand new oil mill in Port Harcourt.

“Our ambition has never been to become bigger simply for the sake of size. We are building scale because Nigeria needs strong indigenous companies capable of competing at the highest level, investing for the long term and creating lasting value,” he said.