Industry stakeholders have expressed optimism that Nigeria’s Robotics industry could take a big step ahead by leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI), potentially impacting critical industries including infrastructure, manufacturing, healthcare, and agriculture. AI in robotics is growing more advanced, and the usage of self-learning robots is becoming increasingly common. Nigeria can increase its competitiveness internationally, create technologies that are exportable, and draw in foreign alliances by integrating artificial intelligence into robots. AI-powered robots may be useful in boosting access to high-quality Education through interactive learning platforms, automating hospital tasks, and delivering healthcare remotely. These applications may be especially important in Nigeria’s underprivileged areas
It is anticipated that robots and AI will take over the manufacturing, distribution, design and marketing of most things. AI-driven robotics can surpass classical automation, responding to dynamic situations and addressing difficult challenges. This combination may hold the key to solving many socio economic issues and opening up new growth prospects in Nigeria. It has the potential to automate manual work, cut down on inefficiencies, and provide scalable answers to enduring problems in Infrastructure development, healthcare, and agriculture. AI integration may stimulate both domestic and foreign investments in robotics, advancing the sector, if it is backed by progressive legislation.
Nigeria still has a lot to learn about robotics.
According to Statista, Revenue in Nigeria’s robotics market is anticipated to reach $288.60 million in 2024 and expand to $617.10 million by 2029. When compared to US revenue, which is expected to reach $9.42 billion in 2024, this revenue disparity is very huge. Experts believe artificial intelligence has the potential to partially close this income gap. The robotics market encompasses the creation, development, production, and use of robotic systems and technology. It also illustrates the scale of the robotics market in industrial and service use cases. The market is dominated by service robotics.
However, Professor Adesina Simon Sodiya claims that only roughly 3% of IT professionals in Nigeria are concentrating on robotics and artificial intelligence. He pointed out that Nigeria still has a lot to learn about the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence. Hence, it is vital to design initiatives and appropriate endeavors that would promote awareness in the domain of AI and Robotics that would garner Investors interest and spur development. Among other endeavors, Africa’s largest drone and robotics maker, TerraHaptix is presenting its inaugural automation Technology expo.
Government is committed to the advancement of AI.
The robotics expert has the chance to demonstrate its advancements in drone technology and artificial intelligence at this first-ever event, which is scheduled to be held on November 23, 2024, at Aztech Arcum in Port Harcourt. The company will introduce three ground-breaking solutions at this expo that will transform the Agriculture and Logistics industries in developing nations. Speaking about the occasion, TerraHaptix Chairman Nathan Nwachuku stated that this event represents a major turning point for the organization as it drives the limits of Innovation and automation technology.
Nwachuku added that artificial intelligence is the future of robotics and the company is striving to be at the forefront of the industry revolution. The Nigerian AI market is anticipated to develop at a startling 44.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) to reach $434.4 million by 2026, according to Research and Markets. This quick expansion demonstrates how AI solutions are being used more and more in a variety of industries, including banking, agriculture, healthcare, and telecommunications. Nigeria’s commitment to AI advancement is demonstrated by the National Centre for AI and Robotics (NCAIR) and the National AI Strategy 2020–2030, which were both developed by the government in recognition of the revolutionary potential of artificial intelligence.
Related Article: Nigeria to lead in Artificial Intelligence
This framework promotes research, development, and adoption through funding, talent development initiatives, and policy frameworks. In a related development, the Nigerian government recently declared that the nation will create its own major language model. It was indicated that the government would be working with several institutions, including a local startup named Awarri, on this project. Awarri will develop an LLM trained in five low-resource languages and accented English, in collaboration with NGO Data.org and two government agencies. By doing this, the number of Nigerian languages represented in the global artificial intelligence systems under development would rise.