Bosun Tijani Named on TIME100 List Alongside AI Pro, Altman

Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, has been recognised by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in AI for 2025. His inclusion places Nigeria beside global names such as Elon Musk of xAI and Sam Altman of OpenAI, shining a light on the country’s growing role in artificial intelligence.

Tijani’s recognition comes after his leadership in shaping the National AI Strategy (NAIS). In April 2024, he gathered more than 120 researchers, startups and policymakers to design a framework for responsible and inclusive AI adoption in key sectors like healthcare, agriculture and education.

Nigeria’s Push into AI

Following that effort, Nigeria unveiled a prototype multilingual large language model (LLM) focused on local languages and accented English. It was built by fellows from the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, with support from Google, Microsoft and Meta, alongside $3.5 million in seed funding.

In September 2024, a ₦100 million AI startup fund was launched in partnership with Google, followed by a $1.5 million fund from the Luminate Group. The government also created a National AI Trust and AI Collective, designed to promote research and strengthen governance.

Most recently, in June 2025, Nigeria partnered with Meta to launch the Nigeria AI Accelerator Programme, aimed at supporting startups working on education, fintech, agriculture and healthcare solutions. The programme will run until December 2025.

Recognition and Reality

Despite these high-profile steps, questions remain about how much of Nigeria’s AI vision has translated into tangible impact. The National AI Strategy is yet to be finalised or released publicly. Likewise, the LLM has not been integrated into any national platforms.

This has led some observers to suggest that Tijani’s global recognition reflects the promise of his vision more than on-the-ground results.“This honour is a reflection of the collective effort of innovators and partners who believe in the potential of AI to transform societies,” Tijani said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).