Lagos AI course to draw on Estonia, Rwanda and Singapore

The Lagos State Government has urged senior civil servants to embrace emerging technologies and develop leadership skills to improve governance and public service delivery.

Dr Olubusola Abidakun, Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Establishments and Training, gave the charge on Tuesday at the opening of a two-day executive development programme on artificial intelligence, emotional intelligence and transformational leadership. In a statement from the ministry’s Director of Administration, Biodun Akindele, Abidakun’s representative, Adedolapo Ajayi, asked participants to use the training to gain relevant knowledge and prepare for changes in public administration. Ajayi said the programme was designed to help senior civil servants understand the need for change and explore how emerging technologies could transform the public service. She said, “What this is all about is change,” and urged officials to embrace emerging technologies and leadership skills to improve governance and public service delivery. She encouraged them to engage with facilitators, ask questions and apply what they learned to their official responsibilities.

Prof Ogechi Adeola, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Enterprise at the University of Kigali in Rwanda, said the programme would examine the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence in governance. She said civil servants needed to understand AI before deploying it in public administration, and that the training would explore the infrastructure and enabling environment required for effective adoption in Lagos State. Participants would learn from the experiences of countries such as Rwanda, Estonia and Singapore, while identifying practices that could be adapted to Nigeria’s public service. Adeola said she would not want to compare Rwanda and Nigeria, and that the useful step was to identify what is working better in Rwanda that could be brought to Nigeria, or lessons that could be cascaded there, and what is working in Nigeria that could be cascaded as well.

Adeola added that the programme would examine practical applications of emerging technologies in public-sector challenges, including AI-enabled drones in healthcare. Representatives of medical delivery technology company Zipline were also expected to share their experiences.

Prof Olusoji George, Executive Officer and Senior Partner at J. Soji-George Consultants (Nig.) Ltd., highlighted emotional intelligence in public-sector leadership. He said senior civil servants needed self-awareness, social awareness and motivation to understand citizens’ concerns and respond effectively. He said transformational leadership required gradual changes in mindset and behaviour, and that sustainable improvements could not come from expecting people to abandon established practices overnight. George said the impact of the training would be assessed after 90 days.