The Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) has urged government, private sector leaders, and professionals across the country to aggressively embrace emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and cloud solutions to drive innovation, creativity, and productivity in the nation’s economy.
President and Chairman of Council of the Institute, Commodore Abimbola Ayuba (rtd.), gave the charge on Monday at the opening of the 2025 Annual National Management Conference in Abuja, themed “Leveraging Emerging Technologies to Drive Innovation, Creativity and Productivity.”
Ayuba said technology has become the new normal and warned that no country or organisation can remain competitive without deliberately investing in digital tools.
“Technology is everything and every forward-looking nation and organisation that wants to go the distance must leverage emerging technologies to drive innovation, creativity and productivity,” he stated.
He, however, stressed that for the country to harness the full benefits of innovation, it must create a peaceful and enabling environment.
The Institute, therefore, urged all Nigerians to join hands with the present administration to move the country forward, stating, “No meaningful development can take place in a chaotic or insecure atmosphere.”
Delivering the keynote, Michael Egboh, said Nigeria has the potential to become a global technology hub, citing the achievements of Nigerians in Silicon Valley, Cambridge, and other international innovation centres.
Egboh warned, however, that artificial intelligence remains a myth in many respects and that without proper investment in talent development, digital infrastructure, and data governance, Nigeria could fall behind in the global technology race.
“We need to establish a clear national strategy to integrate AI, blockchain, and cloud in sectors such as health, education and governance. We must invest in talent, innovation and digital infrastructure to accelerate productivity and reduce costs,” Egboh said.
