Elizabeth Antidius Shumbusho | Africa Guardian
At the Womenovate 4th World Education Day Conference (WEDC25), stakeholders have stressed the urgent need for enhanced investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to bridge the educational divide in underserved regions across Africa.
The event, held on Friday in Abuja to commemorate World Education Day 2025, explored the theme, “Learning for Lasting Peace: Educational Equity Through AI—Tools for Advancing Education in Underserved Areas.” The conference focused on the intersection of education and AI, highlighting the potential for these technologies to promote resilience and sustainable development in marginalized communities.
Motunrayo Opayinka, CEO of Womenovate, emphasized AI’s potential to revolutionize education in Africa, particularly in addressing the long-standing challenges in underserved regions. “AI presents a unique opportunity to transform Africa’s educational landscape by offering tailored solutions to our specific challenges,” she said. Opayinka called for immediate investments in infrastructure, funding, and public awareness to facilitate AI’s adoption, warning that without swift action, Africa could be left behind in the global technological race.
“AI has the power to transform education, but its success depends on overcoming access barriers,” Opayinka added.
Felista Afu, Senior Partnerships Manager at AfriLabs, highlighted the importance of collaboration among governments, private sector players, and innovation hubs. “Governments must create policies that enable growth, while the private sector and innovation hubs must work to equip young Africans with the necessary technology skills for today’s workforce,” she stated. Afu also stressed the need for inclusivity, not just in terms of gender but also in extending opportunities to marginalized communities to bridge the digital divide and ensure equitable access.
Kashifu Abdullahi, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to digital skills development. Represented by Ahmed Tambowa, Acting Director of Digital Literacy and Capacity Building, Abdullahi discussed AI’s potential to generate more jobs than it displaces, offering higher-paying opportunities while automating lower-wage roles.
Abdullahi also outlined NITDA’s “110-100 approach” to digital literacy, a phased initiative aimed at training Nigerians for the digital age. The program has seen significant progress, with Phase 1 training 30,000 individuals last year. Phase 2 will focus on training 60,000 people, with Phase 3 targeting an additional 90,000 participants this year.
___