Nigeria: Cjid Awards Ai Advocacy Grants to Strengthen Responsible Ai Governance in Nigeria

What the report says

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) has awarded a new round of artificial intelligence advocacy grants to seven civil society organisations in Nigeria, through the Nigeria AI Collective. The groups named in the AllAfrica-distributed CJID report are TechHer, Cedar Foundation for Disability, Akin Fadeyi Foundation, Nest Africa AI Innovation Lab, Webfala Digital Skill for All Initiative, the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), and Dataphyte Foundation. CJID said the initiative is meant to support a more inclusive, responsible and citizen-centered AI ecosystem.

According to the report, each organisation will develop its own advocacy project over the coming weeks, based on its area of expertise and the communities it serves. CJID said the grants follow an earlier phase in which civil society groups worked together on joint AI advocacy, and this new stage gives selected organisations more flexibility to pursue focused interventions while staying linked to the wider Community of Practice.

The AI Collective Community of Practice is described as a multi-stakeholder network with more than 600 members, bringing together civil society, media professionals, researchers, developers, students and other emerging professionals. CJID said the work is intended to improve AI literacy, encourage collaboration, support innovation and advance responsible AI governance in Nigeria. The organisation also said the projects are expected to contribute to public understanding, digital inclusion, policy awareness and accountability around AI systems.