Lagos Deploys AI to Upskill Public Sector Workforce
The government of Lagos, Nigeria, is promoting the use of AI to upskill its civil servants and accelerate public service reform. The initiative focuses on using AI-powered training platforms to close digital skills gaps and augment the capabilities of government employees. This strategy aims to improve both internal efficiency and the quality of citizen-facing services.
- The upskilling initiative is part of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu's broader T.H.E.M.E.S Plus Agenda, which aims to transform Lagos into a 21st-century economy by enhancing public service efficiency. The Commissioner for Establishments and Training, Mr. Afolabi Ayantayo, has emphasized that building capacity is central to achieving the agenda's goals. - A specific recent program was the Public Service Accelerator Programme (PSAP), a three-month course for 100 mid-level civil servants from various agencies that explicitly covered the integration of AI and technology in governance. - Another targeted training certified the state's social media handlers as ISO-certified Artificial Intelligence Professionals (CAIP). The curriculum, delivered by the Digital Academy, included AI ethics, machine learning for communication, natural language processing for content creation, and AI-powered data analytics. - This initiative aligns with Nigeria's national strategy to foster digital proficiency. In February 2025, UNESCO, in collaboration with federal ministries, trained 80 civil servants on a framework for AI and digital competencies, covering service design, data protection, and cybersecurity. - As a point of comparison, Estonia's "Kratt AI" strategy features a virtual assistant, Bürokratt, which provides a unified, AI-powered gateway to all government services, building on its highly advanced digital government ecosystem. - In Denmark, 36 municipalities have collaborated on "MUNI," an AI-powered chatbot designed to make citizen-government interactions more efficient. The chatbot can answer over 8,500 questions across 70 categories, handling unlimited inquiries simultaneously to free up civil servants for more complex cases. - The European Union is promoting an "AI first" policy for public services through its "Apply AI Strategy." This strategy encourages public sector organizations to consider AI solutions by default when addressing challenges and aims to boost AI adoption across member states. - From a service design perspective, government AI implementation requires mapping the internal service journey for civil servants who will use the tools. A case study with the UK's Department of Business and Trade involved creating an "inside out" service diagram to understand staff goals and pain points before building AI solutions.
