The Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr. Tammy Danagogo has disclosed plans by the Governor Siminalayi Fubara-led administration to adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategies and implement research findings by specialized institutions, especially as regards security and development.
Dr Danagogo stated this while welcoming participants to the inter-ministerial interaction with the Executive Intelligence Management Course 17 of the National Institute of Security Studies who are in Rivers State on a study tour at the Banquet Hall, Government House on Thursday, August
With the theme, "Artificial Intelligence, Security and Emerging Economies in Africa: Challenges and Prospects, he noted that the Ministries, Department, and Agencies (MDAs) were purposefully selected to give an in-depth account of AI use, challenges, and prospects in the state.
He said, “We desire that your findings will be made available as soon as it is ready.”
He further called on participants to also look into the grey areas of AI to enable the state have an all-embracing grip on its advantages.
“We cannot wish away the merits of AI and we cannot also wish away its pains to humanity and development. Identity theft, scamming, manipulation of real videos and images of unsuspecting persons for unscrupulous purposes, data theft, and other ethical issues are rife in the world of AI.
“We therefore charge you to look into these dark areas and proffer solutions to their elimination, and thus make them serve humanity,” he emphasized.
The Head of Service of Rivers State, Dr. George Nwaeke, while speaking on the topic: "Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for Enhancing Security and Economic Growth in Rivers State," gave a general overview of AI, its prospects and potentials and its infrastructural development in the state as well as security concerns and risk mitigation.
He further outlined some advantages of AI implementation in the state civil service and recommendations for futuristic strategies.
The Vice-Chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof. Nlerum Okogbule spoke on navigating the nexus of artificial intelligence, security, and emerging economies in Africa, challenges, and prospects.
Represented by Prof. Issac Obipi, he enumerated the gains of AI in RSU, calling for action on the way forward such as collaboration in infrastructure development, education, and skill development, collaborative policy making, and establishing AI and data governance framework.
The Commissioner for Information and Communication, Warisenibo Joe Johnson, noted that it is time Nigeria adopted the positives of AI for educational purposes and designed public relations campaigns to enhance the image of the country and assist in solving diverse challenges.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Oreh, maintained that alongside Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Ghana, Nigeria is rapidly transiting from basic agrarian-based to industrial and service-based economy.
She said AI-powered drones are now adopted for the delivery of medical products, emergency response, disaster relief, telemedicine, and remote monitoring.
