Africa Must Lead the AI Revolution, Not Follow – NITDA DG Kashifu Inuwa

Africa Must Lead the AI Revolution, Not Follow – NITDA DG Kashifu Inuwa

NITDA DG Kashifu Inuwa during a panel session at the Main Stage of GITEX Africa 2025 in Marrakech, Morocco.

By Gloria Sarauniya Usman

ABUJA, NIGERIA – April 2025 -

The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, has emphasized that Africa must not merely participate in the global AI revolution—it must lead it. He urged leaders across the continent to embed Artificial Intelligence (AI) into their organizational strategies to unlock new opportunities, transform leadership, and drive smarter, more inclusive decision-making.

Inuwa made this passionate appeal while speaking on the theme “Harnessing AI for Strategic Leadership” during a high-level panel session at the Main Stage of GITEX Africa 2025 in Marrakech, Morocco.

The panel session at the Main Stage of GITEX Africa 2025 in Marrakech, Morocco.

The panel focused on how AI-powered, data-driven strategies can reshape business models, improve resource efficiency, and stimulate growth across African nations. Addressing an international audience of policymakers, tech innovators, and investors, Inuwa positioned Africa—particularly Nigeria—as a rising AI powerhouse, advocating for a human-centered, strategy-led approach to AI governance.

“To thrive in today’s fast-evolving world, leaders must become AI-driven. AI should not just be a tool but a partner in realizing strategic vision,” Inuwa stated. “It’s about co-intelligence—humans and machines working together to shape the future.”

He stressed that leadership in the AI era requires aligning technology with human potential to create meaningful impact. According to him, strategy must always precede technology.

Inuwa outlined four guiding principles for effectively leveraging generative AI:

1. Invite AI to the table – Assign AI meaningful roles in organizational processes.

2. Maintain human oversight – Monitor outputs to prevent bias and errors.

3. Design with guardrails – Ensure AI systems uphold ethics, privacy, and inclusivity.

4. Adopt continuous improvement – Recognize today’s AI as the least capable version and build from there.

While acknowledging AI’s potential, he also cautioned against its risks—particularly those stemming from biased or unrepresentative data. “If data doesn’t see a community, the system won’t see it either,” he warned, underscoring the importance of digital visibility for all cultures and demographics.

He introduced NITDA’s Regulatory Intelligence Framework for AI governance, based on three key pillars: Awareness, Intelligence, and Dynamism. This approach blends rule-based policies with flexible, use-case-driven models to foster innovation while setting clear guardrails.

“We need to be aware of the fast-changing landscape, be intelligent in interpreting data, and remain dynamic to evolve with emerging trends,” he explained. “While rule-based frameworks provide structure, non-rule-based approaches help tailor best practices to real-world applications.”

Looking ahead, Inuwa painted a bold vision for Africa’s AI future. He envisaged AI as a key enabler across sectors—from agriculture and healthcare to finance and education—closing development gaps and catalyzing inclusive growth.

“We missed the first, second, and third industrial revolutions,” Inuwa noted. “This fourth one—AI—we must not only catch up, we must lead.”

Other prominent voices at the session included Kenya’s Special Envoy on Technology, Philip Thigo; CEO of Pesalink, Gituku Kirika; and the Head of Africa at OpenAI, Emmanuel Lubanzadio, who also shared their perspectives on advancing Africa’s AI momentum.