By Martha Agas
The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) has selected seven Civil Society Organisations for Artificial Intelligence advocacy grants under the Nigeria AI Collective initiative.
CJID Executive Director, Mr Akintunde Babatunde, announced the beneficiaries in a statement on Wednesday, describing the programme as a step towards inclusive AI development.
The beneficiaries are TechHer, Cedar Foundation for Disability, Akin Fadeyi Foundation, and Nest Africa AI Innovation Lab.
Others are Webfala Digital Skill for All Initiative, African Centre for Media and Information Literacy and Dataphyte Foundation.
Babatunde said each organisation would implement advocacy projects aligned with its expertise, target communities and priority areas within Nigeria’s emerging AI ecosystem.
According to him, the projects represent the next phase of the AI Collective Community of Practice, which comprises more than 600 members.
He said the grants build on an earlier phase of group-based advocacy, enabling organisations to independently implement interventions tailored to community needs.
“The projects are expected to contribute to public understanding of AI, responsible technology adoption, digital inclusion, citizen engagement, information integrity, policy awareness and greater accountability,” he said.
Babatunde noted that participating organisations would document implementation lessons and share experiences with the wider Community of Practice for learning and replication.
He said the phased approach reflected the collective’s commitment to collaboration while enabling organisations to convert shared knowledge into institution-led interventions.
Babatunde said: “At CJID, we see artificial intelligence as one of the defining public-interest issues of our time.
“Building an inclusive AI ecosystem requires more than technological innovation; it requires informed citizens, capable CSOs, evidence-based policy engagement and sustained collaboration across sectors.
“Through the Nigeria AI Collective, we are investing in organisations that can translate these principles into practical action within their communities.
“Helping ensure that AI development in Nigeria is innovative, accountable and serves the public interest.”
Babatunde stressed that meaningful AI governance required civil society organisations to become active contributors to public education, accountability and policy development.
“Artificial intelligence is reshaping public life, but the direction of that transformation should not be determined by technology companies and governments alone.
“CSOs have an important role in helping communities understand these technologies, identifying their implications and ensuring AI systems serve the public interest,” he said.
He said the Community of Practice had enabled organisations to learn together and undertake collective advocacy on responsible AI development.
“This next phase enables them to build on that experience by designing interventions reflecting their expertise and community needs,” he said.
The Nigeria AI Collective promotes safe, ethical and impactful AI development and adoption across Nigeria through advocacy, collaboration and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
The initiative was established by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and is led by Data Science Nigeria, Lagos Business School and CJID.
The collective is coordinated by the Policy Innovation Centre, while CJID leads the civil society track focused on AI knowledge, advocacy and accountable governance. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Kamal Tayo Oropo