The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has urged youths in the region to utilise Artificial Intelligence to create enterprises and build sustainable livelihoods.
The Managing Director of the commission, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, made the call in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, south-south Nigeria, while delivering a keynote address at the opening ceremony of the NDDC Artificial Intelligence Training and Capacity Building for Innovative Opportunities.
Speaking through his Chief of Staff, Obegha Oworibo, Ogbuku, who spoke on the theme, “From the Creeks of the Niger Delta to the Clouds of Possibilities,” said the commission was committed to creating an environment where skills would meet opportunities, ideas would meet markets and innovation would meet investment.
He noted that AI was rapidly transforming the world of work, stressing that digital tools were increasingly helping individuals and small businesses to perform tasks that previously required significant time, resources and manpower.
According to him, “the important question is not simply whether Artificial Intelligence will change our world. It already has. The question is whether our young people will merely watch that change take place or whether they will acquire the knowledge and confidence to participate in it and shape it.”
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The NDDC boss said the commission’s mandate extended beyond physical infrastructure to human capital development, noting that youths must be equipped with the skills, confidence and opportunities required to create sustainable livelihoods.
“We want to help move our young people from being job seekers to opportunity creators, from being consumers of technology to creators with technology for sustainable economic empowerment,” he said.
Ogbuku observed that while previous generations had relied on the oil resources beneath the soil, the younger generation could harness knowledge, creativity, data and intelligence to create wealth, stressing, “unlike oil, knowledge can multiply when properly developed and applied.”
He further explained that the training was designed to change the mindset of young people and enable them to use AI to develop businesses and solutions in areas such as agriculture, education, healthcare, environmental sustainability, creative industries and finance.
Also speaking, the NDDC Director, Department of Information Technology and Innovation, Emeka Ani, described the programme as a strategic investment in the future of the Niger Delta.
He said it would equip young graduates and unemployed youths with digital competencies needed to thrive in an increasingly technology-driven global economy.
The lead consultant for the programme, Mr Francis Abayomi, commended the NDDC leadership for the initiative, saying the training demonstrated the commission’s dedication to empowering stakeholders and promoting productive engagement, economic growth and stability across the Niger Delta region.
