By Frank Ikpefan,The Nation
Copyright thenationonlineng
The Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) has urged government at all levels, private sector leaders, and professionals to embrace emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and cloud solutions to drive innovation, productivity and economic growth.
The institute said that no country or organisation can remain competitive without deliberately investing in digital tools.
President and Chairman of Council of NIM, Commodore Abimbola Ayuba (rtd.), gave the charge on Monday at the opening of the 2025 Annual National Management Conference in Abuja, themed “Leveraging Emerging Technologies to Drive Innovation, Creativity and Productivity.”
Ayuba said, “Technology is everything and every forward-looking nation and organisation that wants to go the distance must leverage emerging technologies to drive innovation, creativity and productivity.
According to the NIM boss, for Nigeria to harness the full benefits of innovation, it must create a peaceful and enabling environment.
He urged all Nigerians to join hands with the present administration to move the country forward.
“Let me seize this moment to remind all of us that for Nigeria to move forward, there must be a break from the past. The operating environment must be conducive and peaceful.
“We all know that no meaningful development can take place in a chaotic or insecure atmosphere. The Institute, therefore, urges all Nigerians to join hands with the present administration to move the country forward,” he stated.
Country Director of the Chemonics Global Health Supply Chain-Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) Project in Nigeria, Michael Egboh, called on the Federal Government to prioritise investments in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) as a pathway to accelerating national development.
He said Nigeria has the potential to become a global technology hub, citing the achievements of Nigerians in Silicon Valley, Cambridge, and other international innovation centres.
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Egboh, who was the keynote speaker at the event, noted that the future of global economies is shaped by technological innovation, and Nigeria must not be left behind in harnessing these advancements for growth.
According to him, embracing robotics and AI will not only transform productivity across various sectors but also position the country as a competitive player in the global digital economy.
He said, “We need to establish a clear national strategy to integrate AI, blockchain, and cloud in sectors such as health, education and governance. We must invest in talent, innovation and digital infrastructure to accelerate productivity and reduce costs.
“Then investment in education and talent pipelines, need to introduce AI, data literacy and cyber security in curricular; scale boot camps, scholarships and apprenticeship in tech hubs and universities, promote local language AI resource centers to improve accessibility.
“We need to build an enabling digital infrastructure, expand affordable, high speed internet access nationwide, including rural areas, accelerate 5G deployment with neutral host models to reduce cost, invest in data centers and cloud regional hub to reduce latency and data sovereignty, concern; support startup and strengthen data governance and security.
The conference, which attracted policymakers, academics, and industry leaders, is expected to produce policy recommendations that the Institute will transmit to the federal government and other stakeholders to drive technological transformation in Nigeria.
