Google has pledged $1,7 million to support Nigeria's digital economy, with the goal of improving the country's technological skills.

This comes after the minister of communications, Bosun Tijani, met with the Google team led by Matt Brittin, Google's president of Europe, Middle East, and Africa Business and Operations.

Tijani stated that this investment fits with the country's blueprint, which aims to improve digital skills and innovation.

Among the primary programs that the fund will support is the Deep-Tech Ready Upskilling Programme, which aims to provide 20,000 Nigerians with advanced technical skills in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) as part of the 3 million technical talents initiative.

Minister Tijani thanked Google for its commitment, saying, "I look forward to building on our partnership as we continue our path of digital transformation in Nigeria."

Brittin, for his part, underlined AI's disruptive potential in a range of industries, including healthcare and agriculture.

He stressed Google's commitment to responsible AI usage. Brittin added that since 2018, Google has backed over 106 startups in Africa, with Nigerian companies such as Crop2Cash raising over $263 million and creating more than 2,800 jobs.

Going forward, Brittin added that Google.org is donating $1.7 million to the Data Scientists Network Foundation, bolstering Nigeria's AI growth.

He underscored the significance of developing the requisite skills and infrastructure for unlocking AI's economic potential, which he estimates could add $15 billion to Nigeria's GDP.