Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar has held a meeting with Charles Murito, Regional Director for Government Affairs and Public Policy (Sub-Saharan Africa) at Google, to advance discussions toward a structured strategic partnership between Nigeria and the global technology firm.
In a statement issued by the spokesperson of the Ministry, Kimiebi Ebienfa, the meeting builds on earlier engagements between both parties in Davos and signals a shared commitment to deepening collaboration in key areas of innovation, governance, and democratic resilience.
Discussions focused on three core priorities: first, both sides explored opportunities to deepen long-term collaboration beyond infrastructure, with an emphasis on sustainable digital transformation initiatives that align with Nigeria’s development objectives.
Second, the talks highlighted the need to institutionalise Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills development and knowledge transfer.
This includes potential support for the Ministry’s AI Unit, aimed at strengthening internal capacity and positioning Nigeria to harness emerging technologies for policy formulation and service delivery.
Third, the meeting examined the use of anticipatory diplomacy tools to enhance information integrity and democratic resilience under the Regional Partnership for Democracy framework.
The initiative seeks to leverage technology to proactively address misinformation, strengthen governance systems, and promote regional stability.
Technical teams from both sides are expected to continue engagements to define clear and implementable outcomes at the intersection of AI, governance, and regional stability, marking a significant step toward a structured and forward-looking Nigeria–Google partnership.