Artificial Intelligence

By Aminat Akinyemi

As the year 2022 came to a close, the world was thrown into a frenzy after a US-based AI firm, OpenAI released a groundbreaking solution called “chatGPT”, which could converse, reply to text messages sent by humans and answer almost any question as accurately as if it were human itself and all-knowing. This solution even proves to have the capacity to write news articles, public speeches, academic papers, and computer codes and can go as far as discussing matters relating to your local traditional recipes. 

Today, unlike a decade ago, countries are now competing fiercely towards attaining AI supremacy.

This is not surprising as recent events have proven that AI, Robotics, Blockchain and Cybersecurity have a huge impact on national security, intelligence, healthcare and food security. With fast advances in technology, there is no doubt that the next decade presents an opportunity for countries to redefine their future and improve the quality of life, healthcare and availability of jobs through the needed up-skilling of their workforce and re-modelling of their industries.  

Deviating from an age-long Nigerian tradition of simply waiting to import and consume any latest technology in the world rather than contribute to its development, the nation is lucky to have some leaders that are keeping tabs on global developments and are guarding the coast keenly. 

For example, in 2019, a young Nigerian, Olusola Ayoola, after bagging his PhD in the area of Nuclear Robotics and working extensively with the UK government, decided to return home to establish Nigeria’s first fully functional robotics and artificial intelligence facility, Robotics & Artificial Intelligence Nigeria (RAIN) for training, research and product development. 

Since its establishment, RAIN has proven to be world-class and has even attracted international students and recognition from the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Ms Amina J. Mohammed, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), USA and Canada missions in Nigeria, as well as First Bank of Nigeria Plc., Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), the National Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE), the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation, the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).

Some of the groundbreaking research carried out at RAIN include unattended baggage detection, a mini weather station, an AI-based Traffic Light System, a ground robot vehicle and unmanned VTOL aerial vehicle (IMORP), CETHED and RAINSC75/76.

The great feat which RAIN has achieved without any support from the Government and this fact only makes one want to ask what an intervention grant will do to the growth of technology in Nigeria.

This must have been the thought of Honorable Oluyemi Adewale Taiwo, a federal lawmaker representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency, Oyo State. In January 2022 and on the floor of the green hallow chamber, Honorable Taiwo moved a motion for the house to encourage the federal government to liaise and work with RAIN, especially during the course of tackling the insecurity. The house unanimously adopted the motion and passed a resolution in support. 

Honourable Taiwo did not stop at that. The pragmatic lawmaker followed this up with the ministry of science, technology and innovation until he successfully got the nod of the ministry to provide such an intervention grant. 

This is a confirmation of his stewardship to his constituency. However, the nation could do with more of his kind that will direct the federal government’s attention to burgeoning areas within the economy that can help return this nation to the path of greatness. No doubt, with this intervention grant being well managed by the tested and proven management of the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Nigeria board, the nation can only expect to move upwards from this point onward. 

The Chief Executive of RAIN, Dr Ayoola, has confirmed that there are lofty plans in place including the construction of a Centre for Excellence in Drone and Unmanned Vehicles for Geospatial Intelligence, provision of training scholarships to the youths of Nigeria, particularly those from Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency, and the improvement of AI Robotics product prototypes up to the required military standards.

While the efforts of Honorable Taiwo are not common in this part of the world, it is not unexpected as he was basically doing what a genuine representative of the people would do in order to preserve the indigenous technological firms in his constituency, promote their global advantage and protect the future of the youths in such communities through up-skilling.

Let it be known that when Nigeria becomes a great country, it is the sacrifices of genuinely honourable men like Hon. Taiwo of House of Rep and his supportive colleagues in the National assembly, the Honourable Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Senator Adeleke Olorunnimbe Mamora, as well as the permanent secretary of the ministry, will be mentioned for praises. Now, let Nigeria’s global competitiveness in AI and Robotics begin.

Aminat Akinyemi writes from Ibadan and can be reached via aaebunoluwa@gmail.com.

By Hamid Al-Hassan Hamid

I wrote twice about possible attacks on our rail tracks; it is just a matter of time. This, in my opinion, is just a test run; expect more to come if we continue to neglect simple and sincere advice due to ineptitude and corruption. The rail tracks are not left alone, on their own, anywhere in the world. They are protected, monitored and secured. It is done through determination and sincerity of purpose. How many souls would have been lost had the rail skidded and crashed! How disastrous!

Again, with all our tech universities, we cannot build local drones to fly 24/7 and monitor at least our rail tracks. The only thing our professors are good at is attacking another person who became a professor that they do not like.

The technology we need to curb these security challenges is too expensive to buy; we do not have the money. But it is cheaper to develop, and we can do that locally.

I once reached out to MTN, asking how much it would cost me to connect drones that will fly across the country, especially our forest, for intelligence gathering. I will build the server, and they will provide the network, without the Internet data, I don’t need the internet. They gave me two options:

1. Pay 150,000 naira monthly to connect as many drones as possible nationwide.

2. Make them partners in the project, and I will not have to pay a dime.

They needed confirmation and approval from appropriate security bodies. It has been about a year or so now. Getting the interest of the appropriate security bodies alone is more complex than quantum physics.

In Africa, the only thing we love is physical cash, but I don’t blame us. I just pray that God cures our sickness soon.

We need to establish private tech defence companies that are private entities and not owned by the government.

Artificial Intelligence has more practical use cases in Africa. In addition, it will be easier to implement because the biggest fear against Artificial Intelligence is that it will compete with humans in jobs and take away those jobs.

Africans don’t want jobs; they just want to have something to eat throughout the week. Forget about the rampant cry of unemployment. As soon as you employ, you will begin to see. Artificial Intelligence will have no resistance in Africa, especially in security.

What shall we do?

I have been getting messages and comments from brothers trying to help with the Private Defence Tech Company Startup. Some proposed sending proposals to either Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Professor Ali Ibrahim Pantami or Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo. Some also proposed promoting the idea in media houses until it reaches the ears of those in power.

First of all, I have access to Professor Pantami through childhood friends who can meet him whenever they want to. I also know people that can reach the VP. But I disdain the idea of sending proposals.

This is what I am doing at the moment:

I have a team of four individuals with backgrounds in the military and tech. We are making plans to partner with anybody (with genuine sincerity) interested in starting something simple that can be pushed into the market for testing and continue building from there.

At this point, what we want is to partner with the research department of any Nigerian university, military institutions like the Airforce Institute of Technology (AFIT), or the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). We want to start by building an AI that will be able to:

1. Identify faces at entrances through cameras.

2. Log check-in and checkout time of each face.

3. Determine if anyone checked in and did not check out, and report such cases to analyse the data to know why such checkout did not occur. The checkout may be missed because the camera did not capture the face or another exit was used, in which case we would like to know if the use of such alternate exits is valid and improve the AI to be more accurate with regards to missing faces.

4. Print out daily, weekly, monthly and yearly statistics on such check-ins and checkouts per individual and the whole entrants.

5. Try predicting possible movements of each individual based on the data collected as they grow.

6. Send silent alerts to mobile phones of respective security personnel on duty if a breach in the entry is detected, for example, an individual using an entrance or exit that is not within their jurisdiction.

We can develop the AI, create the server, and assist with the statistics as part of our responsibility.

We can start by using cheap Android phones as cameras at respective entrances and exits by connecting them to the server via wifi; this cuts down costs by far at the initial stage.

We want to grow the system gradually by later introducing drones to fly outside and see if they can recognise personnel that have been logged in the building at various entrances, identify the cars they use, log their car plate numbers, identify what canteen they like taking coffee within the vicinity and so on. Then gradually scale to state and federal levels.

It is very simple. But can corruption and corrupt individuals allow this?

Hamid is a social commentator, an expert in AI and writes from Sudan.