The Chairman/CEO of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Dr. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has applauded the founders of a US-based non-governmental organisation, Doing Good Work in Africa (DOWA), for pioneering Nigeria’s AI future through youth innovation in Lagos, Nigeria.
Dabiri-Erewa stated that targeting the youth with AI initiatives is “The best form of Diaspora engagement,” aligning with NiDCOM’s “HomeStrings Programme,” which encourages 2nd and 3rd generation Diaspora Nigerians to connect with home enthusiastically and excitedly.
The NiDCOM boss further commended DOWA founders, Ola Erogbogbo and Emiola Abass, urging them to sustain the initiative while expanding its scope and structure, promising NiDCOM’s continued support and collaboration.
Providing context for the AI Challenge Initiative, DOWA announced the winners of the DOWA AI Policy Challenge, a groundbreaking effort aimed at engaging Nigerian youth in shaping national AI policy.
As a key post-initiative of DOWA’s Masterclass at Google Lagos in July, the challenge attracted over 100 young Nigerians, who tackled critical AI policy concerns in areas such as education, healthcare, and intellectual property.
The Winners of the DOWA AI Policy Challenge are:
1st Place (₦800,000):
Adejuwon Adegite and Adebakin Haroun – Team participants whose policy brief, ‘AI Governance in Nigeria’s Healthcare Sector: Building a Framework for Responsible Innovation’, secured the top spot.
Also Read: Expert Urges AI Deployment to Address National Challenges
2nd Place (₦500,000):
Andrew Ayobami – An individual participant for the policy brief, ‘Enhancing Efficiency and Inclusivity in the Nigerian Healthcare Sector: What Can AI Do?’
3rd Place (₦300,000):
Chibundom Ndukwu – An individual participant for the policy brief, ‘AI Regulation in the Field of Intellectual Property Protection’.
In addition to cash prizes, winners will collaborate on an AI project with the National Bureau of Statistics, sponsored by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs).
The DOWA AI Policy Challenge seeks to inspire forward-thinking, actionable AI policy recommendations to positively impact Nigeria’s tech ecosystem.
DOWA’s Masterclass at Google Lagos set the tone for the challenge, bringing together notable figures from Google, Data Science Nigeria, HYBR Group, the World Bank Group, KALTANI, and Nigerian students.
The July event highlighted the need for youth-driven tech policies to address Nigeria’s AI potential and challenges.
This year, DOWA collaborated with corporate sponsors and institutions, including BeeBot, Cebar Consultancy & Training, Dreamers Academy, NiDCOM, and OSSAP-SDGs, to bring the initiative to life and empower young innovators in Nigeria and the diaspora.
An esteemed panel of judges, including Dr. Olusegun Ishmael, Ngozi Aderigibe, Alex Tsado, and Titi Akinsanmi, evaluated submissions based on a transparent rubric assessing topic understanding, analysis quality, originality, practicality, and clarity of recommendations.
Comments are closed.