United States, Nigeria co-host pan-African AI conference in Lagos 

Business a.m.

An artificial intelligence conference which will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday in Lagos is being jointly hosted by the United States and Nigeria, the US Consulate in Lagos said in a statement made available to Business a.m.

According to the consulate, the U.S. Department of State and Nigeria’s Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, are convening approximately 300 stakeholders in Lagos for the “Global Inclusivity and Artificial Intelligence: Africa” conference.  

It explained that during this pan-African conference, senior U.S. government officials will join tech policy leaders, private sector executives, civil society members, and academia to discuss opportunities and challenges in the development, deployment, and use of artificial intelligence (AI).  

Specifically, the conference will include plenary and break-out sessions, site visits, panel discussions, and networking events that will help participants identify and harmonise tech governance strategies that ensure AI is adopted and advanced in a way that protects the public from potential harm and that ensures everyone is able to enjoy its benefits. 

According to the US Consulate, the conference represents a significant step in U.S.-Nigeria relations and builds on the positive momentum from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Nigeria in January and the U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission meetings held in April in Abuja, where the AI conference was announced.