The Director General of the Bureau of Public Service Reform (BPSR), Dr. Dasuki Ibrahim Arabi says Nigeria now has a new curriculum incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology.
This is part of the Nigerian government’s drive to digitally transform the public service system.
Dr Arabi made the disclosure while presenting a paper on artificial intelligence and blockchain adoption in the Nigerian public service at the first Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain Conference and Training (AIBIC–Abuja 2025), organised by Havel Corporate Concept Limited.
“The government remains committed to creating a digitized public service for school children to responsibly operate and manage. Policies and programs have been set up to enable them effectively key into technology,” he said.
Dr Arabi said that “Nigeria now has an e-government master plan to further entrench technology use.
“School children should key into technology. Policies and programs have been set up for them. We have a new curriculum that is supporting adoption of AI, creating a space where they will be safe within the space of technology utilisation.”
“This initiative began in 2004 under the National Strategy on Public Service Reforms, with the aim of fully digitising the public service. Significant progress has been made in digitising public financial management, which is now handled entirely through paperless processes across all MDAs.
“By the end of December 2025, all ministries are expected to have their activities fully digitised. Between 2002 and 2003, the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to deepen the adoption of artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies. Today, Nigeria has an e-government master plan, ”Dr Arabi explained
He emphasised that the strategy aims to improve transparency, accountability, fight corruption, and enhance the effectiveness and quality of public service.
“Over 10 ministries are fully paperless, and we hope others will join before year-end,” he said.
The CEO of Havel Corporate Concept Limited, Dr. Ahmed Badanga highlighted the importance of combining AI and blockchain, noting that “it creates intelligent, secure, and transparent systems across industries.”
He said the conference also aimed to examine legislation, regulatory frameworks, and ongoing bills related to AI in Nigeria.
As part of the initiative, an AI Club for Nigerian schools has been launched to empower students as ethical digital citizens, with pilot programmes approved by the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) and the FCT Secondary Education Board (FCT-SEB).
Lady Florence Wenegieme, Director of Science, Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at FCT UBEB, said forming AI clubs in secondary schools would allow students to engage in extracurricular digital learning while networking with peers and teachers.
The event featured the unveiling of the first beneficiaries of the AI school project, with 30 students from Junior Secondary Schools Wuse Zone 3 and Government Day Secondary Schools Wuse 2, Abuja.
Awards were also presented to innovators, policy makers, and companies driving AI technology forward in Nigeria.