The New Thoughts Media Support Foundation (NTMSF) on Wednesday, October 8, convened the inaugural Innovation for Development Conference and launched Tori AI, a pioneering platform designed to harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) for media sustainability and democratic growth.
The event took place in Lagos on Wednesday, October 8, bringing together academics, journalists, technologists, policymakers, and innovators to shape a localised roadmap for AI adoption in Nigeria’s media sector.
Held under the theme “Unlocking Nigeria’s AI Potential for Media Sustainability and Democracy,” the landmark gathering marked a historic moment in Nigeria’s media and technology landscape.
The conference underscored NTMSF’s strong commitment to bridging theory and practice through strategic partnerships with Nigeria’s leading academic institutions.
The Foundation has forged collaborations with Summit University, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMinna), and the University of Ibadan (UI) — institutions known for nurturing some of the country’s most talented researchers and innovators.
These partnerships aim to build a pipeline of AI knowledge and innovation rooted in Nigeria’s cultural, linguistic, and democratic contexts.
The foundation for this initiative was laid through a six-month postdoctoral research fellowship supported by the MacArthur Foundation, which produced groundbreaking research on Nigeria’s evolving AI ecosystem.
The fellowship cohort, led by researchers whose work examined localisation, ethics, and media applications of AI, provided the intellectual backbone for the first AI Symposium in Nigeria’s media sector, setting the stage for sustained academic-industry collaboration.
Across a series of high-level panels, fireside chats, and keynote addresses, experts emphasised the urgency of localising AI tools, strengthening policy frameworks, and closing the knowledge gap to ensure that AI serves Nigeria’s democratic and media development goals rather than deepening existing inequalities.
From infrastructural challenges and ethical considerations to the promise of culturally rooted AI innovation, the conference offered a blueprint for how Nigeria can transition from being a passive consumer of foreign technologies to a creator of contextually relevant AI solutions.
