New AI University Is Set To Open Nigeria

Wini University, an AI-focused university, is set to open in Epe, Lagos, as first reported by Voice of Nigeria.

As the first university of its kind in Nigeria, Wini University aims to equip Nigerian youth with hard-hitting skills in artificial intelligence and make Africa a hub in the global AI market.

The university draws inspiration from Qatar’s AI university, which takes top talent worldwide; this Nigerian project has been in the pipeline since 2016. A group of people from Boston and Nigeria started establishing the foundation for the university. After years of support and getting approval from the National University Commission, the university is ready to launch.

What will the university teach?

Wini University will provide students with in-demand skills like blockchain, quantum computing, machine learning, and generative AI. Learning these skills will help Nigerian students thrive in the growing global AI market, which is expected to hit $4.6 trillion by 2040. This will help make Africa a key player in the global tech world. However, the university wants to do more than teach students; it aims to create a tech ecosystem that could change Lagos into Africa’s Silicon Valley.

Building the university in Epe aligns with Lagos’s bigger plans to become the “California of Africa.” President Bola Tinubu’s proposal to attract global investors and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s attempts to promote Lagos’s economy to fifth place in Africa have made Epe the most suitable area for this project. Traditional leaders have also backed the project by donating ancestral land for the university’s permanent site, according to Techpoint.

The university isn’t limiting itself to just boosting the economy; it wants to change it, moving away from agriculture to a booming digital economy. This looks like new innovations, quality jobs, AI solutions for climate change, and a flood of global partnerships and investments.

Image: Solen Feyissa