The Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission,(NiDCOM), Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa has applauded the founders of
a US-Based Non-governmental Organization known as Doing Good Work in Africa (DOWA) for Pioneering Nigeria’s AI Future With Youth Innovation in Lagos, Nigeria.
Dabiri-Erewa stated that targeting the youth with AI initiative is the best form of Diaspora Engagement which aligns with NiDCOM’s “HomeStrings Programme” in which the 2nd and 3rd Generation Diaspora Nigerians are made to think of home with enthusiasm and excitement.
The NiDCOM Boss further commended the duo of Ola Erogbogbo and
Emiola Abass,of The Doing Good Work in Africa (DOWA), and urged them to sustain the initiative and expand scope and structure, promising NiDCOM’s continued support and engagement.
Giving a background to the AI Challenge Initiative, DOWA announced the winners of the DOWA AI Policy Challenge, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at engaging Nigerian youth in shaping national AI policy. As a key post-initiative of DOWA’s Masterclass at Google Lagos in July, the challenge brought together over 100 young Nigerians who applied their talents to address critical AI policy concerns, focusing on education, healthcare, and intellectual property.
The winners are: 1st Place – Adejuwon Adegite and Adebakin Haroun – Team participants whose policy brief is titled ‘AI Governance in Nigeria’s Healthcare Sector: Building a Framework for Responsible Innovation’ ( N 800, 000) price money
2nd Place – ₦500,000: Andrew Ayobami – an individual participant whose policy brief is titled ‘Enhancing Efficiency and Inclusivity in the Nigerian Healthcare Sector: What can AI Do?
3rd Place – ₦300,000: Chibundom Ndukwu – also an individual participant whose policy brief is titled ‘AI Regulation in the Field of Intellectual Property Protection’
In addition to cash prizes, winners will have the unique opportunity to collaborate on an AI project with the National Bureau of Statistics, sponsored by the Office of SSAP-SDG.
The Challenge Overview and Objectives was launched on September 23, 2024, and entries closed on October 26, 2024. The DOWA AI Policy Challenge is designed to inspire forward-thinking, practical AI policy recommendations that can positively shape Nigeria’s tech ecosystem. The DOWA Masterclass at Google Lagos set the stage for the challenge, featuring notable figures from Google, Data Science Nigeria, HYBR Group, the World Bank Group, KALTANI, and Nigerian students. The July event underscored the importance of youth-driven tech policy to address Nigeria’s AI potential and challenges, and this challenge further amplified that mission.
This year, DOWA partnered with corporate sponsors and key institutions, including BeeBot, Cebar Consultancy & Training, Dreamers Academy, NiDCOM, and the OSSAP-SDGs (Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals), to bring the challenge to life and support young innovators across Nigeria and the diaspora.
An esteemed panel of judges included Dr. Olusegun Ishmael, Ngozi Aderigibe, Alex Tsado, and Titi Akinsanmi, reviewed each submission based on a rigorous, transparent scoring rubric that assessed understanding of the topic, quality of analysis, originality, practicality, and clarity of recommendations.
