Bletchley Declaration on AI (Nov. 2023): Nigeria, among 28 countries, pledged to develop AI with attention to international collaboration to mitigate risks. The declaration acknowledges the potential for serious harm from AI models and highlights risks such as bias and privacy issues (Dataphyte, Ayantola Alayande, and Abdurahman Adebayo, 2024).

Data Scale for AI: The scale of data required to power a home-grown AI model is substantial. Currently, the Nigerian government is the only entity with the resources to stimulate national data collection efforts, though it faces challenges such as poor data accessibility and interoperability (Dataphyte, Ayantola Alayande, and Abdulrahman Adebayo, 2024).

Technology Pillar Score: Nigeria’s technology pillar has the lowest score despite a vibrant tech ecosystem. There is a need for strategic investment in AI innovation, and reducing reliance on US investors as 80% of Nigerian startups are incorporated in the US (Dataphyte, Ayantola Alayande, and Abdulrahman Adebayo, 2024).

Supporting Documents

• Nigeria National AI Strategy 

• AI in Nigeria 

Guiding Questions

• How can AI governance in your chosen industry (Healthcare, Intellectual Property, or Education) balance innovation with ethical considerations, ensuring both growth and protection for stakeholders in Nigeria?

• What specific AI regulatory measures would you recommend for your selected industry, and how do they address current gaps in Nigeria's technological and data infrastructure?

• How can your policy brief foster collaboration between Nigeria’s public and private sectors to accelerate AI development while ensuring responsible AI use in the industry you've selected?

General Terms and Conditions

1. The participant is an active undergradute or graduate student of Nigerian descent, living in Nigeria or overseas. A student identification card or other supporting document is needed to prove active status.

2. Participants can be an individual or a group consisting of a maximum of 2 persons. 

3. Participants are encouraged and expected to read the entirety of the guidelines provided on the website.

List of Prizes

⚠️Winners outside Nigeria will be awarded the dollar equivalent of the naira prizes⚠️

1. Ist Place - NGN800,000 

2. 2nd Place - NGN500,00 

3. 3rd Place - NGN300,000 

4. Recognition of the Top 15 selected

All three winners will also secure an opportunity to work on an AI mini-project/micro-internship with the Office of SSAP - SDGs in partnership with the National Bureau of Statistics

Policy Brief Guidelines

1. The policy brief must be original work and has not been published in other publication platforms.

2. Choose one of the following issue areas to center your policy brief around:

• • • Medical/Healthcare

    • Intellectual Property (Publishing)

    • Education

3. Policy Recommendations:

• • • Develop a policy brief for AI governance in your chosen issue areas.

    • Highlight the strengths and shortcomings of your recommendation(s).

    • Your recommendation should aim to achieve the best balance of outcomes required by the FMICDE.

    • You may use the theory, framework, and approach that you have learned.

4. Format and Length

• • • Use a standard policy brief format (Ref. International Development Research Centre)

    • Write in the English Language (indicate whether British/American) for your writing.

    • Font: Times New Roman, font size: 12, line spacing: 1.25, spacing before: 0 pt, spacing after: 1.25 pt.

    • Full policy brief length: 3-4pages for the policy brief including a one-page executive summary, footnotes, and references.

    • Use Harvard Referencing style (See sample here)

5. The author(s) notes that the policy brief can not be withdrawn at any condition once it is accepted by the committee.

6. The policy brief must follow these structures to ensure clarity and effectiveness in communicating key points:

• • Title: A clear and concise title that reflects the topic of the brief. Write your name below the title.

  • Executive Summary: A one-page overview of the policy issue, the key findings, and the main recommendations. It should provide a snapshot of the entire brief. Should be submitted separately.

  • Introduction: Explain its significance and relevance. Provide the necessary background information to help the reader understand the issue better. This section should include relevant statistics, historical context, and policy history.

  • Problem Statement: Clearly articulate the problem or issue that the policy brief is addressing. This should be specific, concise, and backed up by evidence.

  • Policy Analysis: This section explains the reasoning behind your policy recommendations. In effect, this section describes the problem that your policy recommendations intend to solve. It should include an analysis of current policies related to the issue, their strengths, weaknesses, and any gaps or areas that require improvement.

  • Policy Recommendation: Present your proposed solutions or recommendations. These should be clear, specific, and actionable. Explain how these recommendations address the identified problem and why they are the best course of action. It’s essential to provide evidence and examples to support your recommendations.

  • Conclusion: This final section of the policy brief should detail the actions recommended by your findings. Summarize the key points of the policy brief, emphasizing the importance of the recommendations and their potential impact on the issue.

  • References: Include a list of all the sources and references used in the brief. Follow a consistent Harvard Referencing style.

7. Incorporate visuals into the policy brief. Choose effective visuals for the type of information you would like to communicate. For example, pie charts and bar graphs are preferable to data tables to illustrate findings. Include captions for photos and other visuals that explain the content to the reader.

Submission and Challenge Details

1. All submissions should be made through the application portal.

• File naming should be Last name_Policy Brief [E.g. Adeniyi_Policy Brief (individual) or Nnaji & Waziri_Policy Brief (team)]

• The submitted policy brief should be in PDF format.

• The latest submission to be made is by Saturday, the 19th of October, 2024. 

• One representative is sufficient for team submission to submit the final policy brief.

2. Fifteen of the best policy briefs will be selected to continue to the next stage. This will be communicated to finalists.

3. The top three winners will be announced on the 2nd of November, 2024 on our social media pages.

Frequently Asked Questions

(Missed the Q&A session? Catch the replay here. Passcode: .Mf6?!fw)

1. Given that this challenge includes both graduates and undergraduates, does it provide participants with equal opportunities for grading? Graduates will obviously have more exposure and experience than undergraduates, which could give them a higher chance of producing better results.

Answer: All submissions will be evaluated through a blind review process by our panel of judges. This ensures that each participant is graded fairly, solely based on the quality of their submission, regardless of academic level or experience.

2. Can recent graduates and graduate students awaiting resumption apply?

Answer: Yes, recent graduates who have completed their undergraduate studies as well as graduate students awaiting admission are eligible to apply.

3. What proof of student status is required in the submission?

Answer: Participants should provide supporting documents such as snapshots of their student ID, student portal, or other relevant documentation that verifies their current or recent studentship status.

4. Is there a required margin and indentation format to adhere to?

Answer: No, there are no specific formatting requirements for margin and indentation.

5. What referencing style should be used?

Answer: Participants are required to use the Harvard Referencing Style in their submissions.

6. Where should the choice of English language style be indicated?

Answer: Please indicate your choice of English language style (e.g., UK or US English) as a byline on the front page, where the executive summary is located.

7. What is meant by the “theory/framework” referenced in the challenge guidelines?

Answer: The challenge encourages participants to apply relevant theories or frameworks they have studied during their academic career, to support the policy recommendations in their submission.

8. Should the policy brief on intellectual property be restricted solely to publication, or can participants explore other areas of intellectual property such as copyright, patents, industrial designs, etc.?

Answer: Publication is provided only as an example of areas under intellectual property. Participants are free to explore other areas, such as copyright, patents, industrial designs, and more.