At an AI Workshop, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, has unveiled Nigeria’s inaugural Multilingual Large Language Model (LLM), marking a significant stride in the nation’s quest to assert leadership in Artificial Intelligence (AI) development across Africa.
Launch of Multilingual Large Language Model (LLM)
Dr. Bosun Tijani, the Communications Minister, officially disclosed the launch of the LLM, emphasizing its genesis as an outcome of a 4-day AI workshop held in Abuja. This workshop convened from Monday to Thursday of that particular week, gathering momentum and expertise in the realm of AI.
Collaborative Partnership for Development
Dr. Tijani elucidated that the deployment of the AI tool materialized through a collaborative effort between various stakeholders, including a Nigerian AI enterprise, Awarritech, in tandem with a global tech giant, DataDotOrg, in conjunction with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the National Centre for AI and Robotics (NCAIR).
Linguistic Enrichment and Capacity Building
Emphasizing on linguistic diversity, the Minister highlighted that the LLM will undergo training encompassing 5 low resource languages and accented English, fortifying language representation within existing datasets essential for AI solutions development. Moreover, the project enjoys the backing of over 7,000 fellows from the 3MTT Nigeria program, accentuating a robust foundation for knowledge dissemination and capacity enhancement.
Key Outcomes from the Workshop
Dr. Tijani further elaborated that the 4-day collaborative endeavor involving over 120 AI experts yielded pivotal outcomes, including the formulation of an embryonic draft of Nigeria’s National AI Strategy. Additionally, stakeholders announced significant partnerships and developments that will expedite Nigeria’s trajectory in AI advancement.
Strategic Partnerships for AI Development
Among the noteworthy announcements was the strategic collaboration between 21st Century Technologies, Galaxy Backbone, and NCAIR Nigeria. This coalition aims to propel the development of AI projects with national significance, underpinned by 21st Century Technologies’ funding initiative to procure an initial set of GPUs. Furthermore, these computational resources will be housed at the GBB Data Centre in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), rendering them accessible to local researchers, startups, and government entities engaged in critical AI undertakings.
Relaunch of National Centre for AI and Robotics (NCAIR)
Furthermore, the Minister disclosed the relaunch of the National Centre for AI and Robotics (NCAIR), serving as a dedicated platform fostering research and development in emerging technologies. Moreover, the enhanced capacity at NCAIR will bolster its role as a digital innovation and research hub, addressing the evolving needs and interests of Nigeria’s technological landscape.
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