By Usman Aliyu
Young Nigerians seeking careers in technology have been advised to combine artificial intelligence (AI) skills with deep knowledge of specific industries to remain relevant in the evolving digital economy.
Digital experts gave the advice on Sunday during a virtual ICT Career Talk organised by Bincom Dev Centre, with the theme, “Agentic AI: The Next Frontier of Tech Careers.”
The session featured Mr Akohamen Agenmonmen, an engineer and Founder of SurfSpot Communications Ltd., and Quazim Ogungbayi, an information technology (IT) project and product management professional.
Agenmonmen explained that while generative AI primarily creates content in response to prompts, agentic AI could plan and execute a sequence of tasks within defined limits.
He, however, stressed that human oversight remained essential to ensuring the quality, cost-effectiveness and outcomes of AI-driven work.
“Emerging opportunities in artificial intelligence extend beyond conventional coding to areas such as AI orchestration, workflow engineering, AI-native software development, safety and governance, as well as industry-specific applications,” he said.
Agenmonmen urged young professionals to identify areas where AI could solve practical problems within their chosen industries.
Ogungbayi, on the other hand, advised aspiring AI professionals to begin with simple automated workflows, such as organising emails or drafting responses for human review, before progressing to systems with greater autonomy.
He also encouraged learners to develop practical skills by dedicating about 90 days to focused learning and application within their chosen fields.
Ogungbayi said understanding application programming interfaces (APIs) and workflow design would help learners build more effective AI systems.
He also emphasised the importance of governance as AI agents gain access to sensitive systems and operations.
“Organisations should introduce measures such as limited system permissions, audit trails and human review to ensure accountability.”
Responding to questions on data privacy, the two speakers urged individuals and organisations to exercise caution when sharing personal information with AI platforms.
They stressed the need for responsible access controls and clear accountability in the deployment of AI systems.
The online career development programme was hosted by Gloria Ibeneme and organised by Lagos-based Bincom Dev Centre. (NAN)
AUO/VE
Edited by Victor Adeoti
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