Nigerian, Russian Scholars Advocate Indigenous AI Solutions

Scholars at the University of Ilorin and RUDN University, Russian Federation, have called for the indigenisation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) knowledge and deployment of home-grown technological solutions to address insecurity and other socioeconomic challenges facing Nigeria.

The scholars made the call ahead of the University of Ilorin  fourth Biennial International Conference organised by the Faculty of Communication and Information Sciences in collaboration with the Faculty of Philology, RUDN University, Russia.

The dean of the Faculty of Communication and Information Sciences, Prof. Saudat Abdulbaqi, said the conference would focus on “Disruptive Technology, Human and Artificial Intelligence in the Digital Economy.”

She said the conference, scheduled for May 12 to 15, 2026, would examine how technological innovations have transformed business, communication and human interactions globally, especially within the digital economy.

Abdulbaqi said the conference would also feature a pre-conference workshop for postgraduate students and early career academics aimed at improving research writing, publication skills and academic development.

She noted that previous editions of the conference had exposed participants to the developmental potential of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), especially in the use of social media for national growth and productive engagement.

She, however, cautioned against blind reliance on AI-generated outputs, stressing the need for verification and fact-checking.

“AI does not claim perfection. It can make mistakes. Users must verify whatever information they obtain and not accept everything hook, line and sinker,” she said.

Abdulbaqi disclosed that the conference had attracted participants and paper presentations from countries including Russia, Malaysia, Algeria, Morocco, Ghana and the United States.

For his part, a Professor of Computer Science, Amos Bajeh, said Nigeria must move beyond being merely a consumer of technology to becoming a producer of AI-driven innovations.

He explained that effective use of AI depends largely on proper prompt engineering and users’ understanding of how to interact with the technology.

“The result AI gives you is as good as the prompt you generate for it. That is why prompt engineering is important,” he said.

Bajeh said the conference would explore practical ways of deploying AI for national development, including security surveillance, data analysis and indigenous language translation.