Nigeria’s outstanding performance at AI competition excites FEC

Nigeria’s outstanding performance at AI competition excites FEC.

The Federal Executive Council(FEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday, received the report on Nigeria’s outstanding performance at the Gulf Technology Exhibition Competition(GITEX) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates(UAE).

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Isa Pantami who presented the report also briefed State House correspondents after the FEC meeting on the importance of the competition.

Pantami said GITEX was an annual event where exhibitions and competitions were organised in Dubai.

The minister said it was the largest Information Communications Technology(ICT) event in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

According to him, the event is a very strategic one aimed at promoting technology.

He said that countries attended the event and showcased their intellectual capacity, their startups, the potential they had and the young innovators they were grooming.

“I led a Nigerian delegation where we went there with 10 startups from Nigeria; meaning with 10 young innovators from the country.

“The process through which we selected these innovators was through an open competition in which 168 innovators participated after fulfilling all the requirements.’’

Pantami said that among the 168 which were selected from each geo-political zone of the country, 10 start-ups were picked based on their performances for the competition.

“So, with these, we traveled to GITEX with 10 start-ups; one of the start-ups we attended the event with is called Chiniki Guard; it is an artificial intelligence application which has been developed in order to monitor, track and report suspicious activities in public places like shopping mall, office and any anything related to that.

“For example, once someone enters your office without your permission, that will be recorded automatically.

“Secondly, whatever he does there that is suspicious like taking and putting something inside his pocket, that will automatically communicate in real-time to the security at the gate or in any place.

“With that real-time, it will be communicated in video and at the same time in image form; they will be able to follow up or at least intercept to intercept what he has taken away or what he has committed.

“So, this is the artificial intelligence that has been developed by one young man from Katina State by name Abdulhakeem Bashir and it emerged the global best in the most celebrated and biggest category, that is the Artificial Intelligence.

“ 750 innovators participated in this category from 73 countries and he happens to be the best among the 750 from 73 countries; I think he should be celebrated by all Nigerians.’’

He said that another participant from Nigeria as well came up with another application named 247Medic–another robotic application that would be able to link up doctors with patients.

According to him, it is difficult to get access to medical facilities or medical attention, particularly, if you are in the rural or at night.

He said that application, when downloaded on a Smartphone, would automatically link one up with a doctor based on the feeling or area of one’s problem within a maximum of 10 minutes.

The minister said that Nigeria was also proud of the other eight participants at it was not to emerge from selection the process.