Nigeria has taken a giant leap in the race for artificial intelligence (AI) dominance in Africa. The country recently unveiled its first-ever multilingual large language model (LLM), a significant achievement announced by Communications Minister Dr. Bosun Tijani.

This development comes after a productive four-day AI workshop held in Abuja, the nation's capital. The workshop wasn't just about brainstorming – it yielded concrete results. A collaboration between Nigerian AI company Awarritech, global tech firm DataDotOrg, and government agencies like NITDA (National Information Technology Development Agency) and NCAIR (National Centre for AI and Robotics) brought the LLM to life.

But here's the exciting part: this LLM won't be limited to just English. Dr. Tijani emphasized that the model will be trained on five indigenous languages alongside English with regional variations. This ensures a broader range of African voices are included in the data used to develop future AI solutions.

The project also benefits from the participation of over 7,000 fellows from the 3MTT Nigeria program, a testament to the country's commitment to fostering AI talent.

This isn't the only good news. The workshop produced an initial draft of Nigeria's National AI Strategy, outlining a roadmap for the nation's advancements in this field. Additionally, a collaboration between 21st Century Technologies, Galaxy Backbone, and NCAIR was announced to accelerate crucial AI projects.

21st Century Technologies is stepping up by funding essential purchases – GPUs (graphics processing units) – to boost national computing power. These resources will be available to researchers, startups, and government entities working on AI projects housed at the GBB Data Centre.

The workshop also saw the relaunch of NCAIR, a dedicated body fostering research and development in AI, robotics, drones (UAVs), and the Internet of Things (IoT). This revamped NCAIR promises to be a powerhouse for digital innovation and research in Nigeria.

Funding isn't a concern either. The National AI Strategy has secured a robust $3.5 million in seed funding from a diverse group of partners. This includes international organizations like UNDP and UNESCO, alongside tech giants like Meta, Google, and Microsoft. Local players like Lagos Business School, Data Science Nigeria, and government agencies are also pitching in. Notably, 21st Century Technologies is investing an additional $2 million in the pilot program, demonstrating their commitment to Nigeria's AI future.

With a powerful LLM, a blossoming National AI Strategy, and strong partnerships, Nigeria is well on its way to becoming a leader in African AI development.