AI is N-Delta new oil—NDDC

Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Samuel Ogbuku, PhD, has stated that Artificial Intelligence, AI, stands as the new oil for the youths of the nation, especially, Niger Delta youths.

This was as the commission  launched a three-day Artificial Intelligence Training and Capacity Building Programme aimed at equipping young people from the region with practical skills to create opportunities rather than merely adapting to technological changes.

Ogbuku, who declared the training open in Port Harcourt said that the initiative was designed to prepare Niger Delta youths to actively directly the region’s future in an AI-driven economy. 

The MD, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Rev’d. Obegha Oworibo, said the training was designed to turn young people from the region into active in AI, technology and innovation and not passive consumers.

Ogbuku hinted AI now gives individuals and small businesses capabilities once reserved for larger organisations, including market research, idea development, customer communication and productivity improvements.

He said “A young entrepreneur can use AI to research a market, develop a business idea, communicate with customers and create content. A creative person can use it to develop and refine ideas. A small business owner can use it to improve productivity and compete in markets that may previously have seemed beyond reach.”

He stressed that NDDC’s mandate extends beyond physical infrastructure to building human capacity, stressing that the training seeks to shift participants from job seekers to opportunity creators, from technology consumers to creators, and from dependency towards economic empowerment.

He said “location does not limit imagination; background does not determine destiny. The Niger Delta has its creeks, but its young people must also occupy the clouds of possibilities.”

Earlier, the NDDC Director of Information Technology and Innovation, Engr. Emeka Ani, stressed that the Artificial Intelligence Training for Innovative Employment Opportunities is a launched for young talent into Nigeria’s and the global digital economy.

Ani said would acquire practical AI skills, learn to use the tools to boost productivity and innovation, and gain the ability to identify entrepreneurship and self-employment opportunities. 

He said “Over the next three days you will be exposed to intensive technical sessions led by experienced AI professionals and industry experts. The value of this programme will not be measured by attendance alone, but by how effectively you apply the skills acquired.”

Ani commended the NDDC Managing Director and management for their investment in human capital development and thanked the resource persons partnering with the Commission. 

However, the lead resource person, at the event, Professor Adedeji Oyenuga said the event moves the conversation from vision to reality, adding that technology requires a robust ecosystem. 

Oyenuga that the NDDC, through its Department of Information Technology and Innovation, holds the institutional responsibility to lead this digital ecosystem strategy.

He proposed the establishment of an Artificial Intelligence hub in the Niger Delta, adding that such centre would help provide more trainings for youths.