The Vice Chancellor of Summit University, Offa, Kwara State, Professor Abiodun Musa Aibinu, has moved to allay public anxiety and fear over the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to worsen Nigeria’s unemployment crisis.
He declared that AI is not the enemy of workers but rather a catalyst for economic transformation.
Speaking ahead of the IndabaX Nigeria 2025 Conference, which kicked off on Tuesday at Summit University, Offa, Kwara State, Prof Aibinu told journalists that rather than displacing human labour, AI would open doors to new industries, careers, and entrepreneurial ventures across the continent.
“Contrary to widespread fears, AI will not displace workers en masse. Instead, it will create new job roles and industries that never existed before. AI is the engine of the knowledge economy and a powerful enabler of innovation,” he said.
The conference, widely regarded as Africa’s largest AI gathering, has drawn more than 300 participants, including experts, tech entrepreneurs, researchers, and scholars from across the continent.
This year’s edition is themed around the democratisation of knowledge, ethical AI deployment, and practical, home-grown solutions to Africa’s problems.
Prof Aibinu, a renowned expert in Mechatronics Engineering, Machine Vision, and Artificial Intelligence, is also leading a research team working on an AI-based surveillance system to curb egg theft in Nigeria’s smallholder poultry farms—an issue that continues to affect rural agricultural productivity.
“This is just one example of how AI can be deployed to solve community-based problems,” he explained. “From agriculture to security, education to commerce, AI holds the potential to reshape our national productivity landscape.”
He further highlighted how technologies like drones, machine learning, and computer vision are already transforming Nigeria’s security architecture.
“With AI-powered surveillance, remote sensing, and intelligent object tracking, we can improve border monitoring, respond to threats faster, and protect lives more efficiently.
“AI is the naked truth of our time. It is here to stay, and it’s here to help,” he said.
Also speaking at the opening of the three-day conference, Mr. Ahmed Olanrewaju, Chairperson of the Steering Committee, described IndabaX Nigeria as “Africa’s premier convergence of AI minds,” saying the event serves as a critical platform for policy dialogue, collaboration, and innovation.
On her part, Mrs. Ganiyat Afolabi-Yusuf, Chairperson of the Local Organising Committee, said the event is more than a conference.
She said, “It’s not just a gathering; it’s a laboratory for African solutions to African problems. We’re in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. AI is evolving rapidly toward autonomy and will soon surpass human intelligence in several domains. We must be prepared.”
Over 30 tertiary institutions from across Nigeria and beyond are participating in IndabaX Nigeria 2025, making it the largest continental AI summit hosted in Africa this year.
With the blend of high-level discourse, practical workshops, and grassroots research presentations, participants say the conference is a timely intervention that could chart a new course for Africa’s digital transformation.
