Ola Ameen
Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has approved the creation of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Division under the ICT Department to continue to harness the positive aspects of AI and mitigate its negative impact on elections.
The Division according to Sam Olumekun National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, on Thursday 22nd May, this will enable the Commission to better coordinate and maximise existing technology investments through centralised AI governance. It will also enhance decision-making through data-driven insights, risk management and voter engagement. Furthermore, it will strengthen electoral credibility through predictive analytics, automation and intelligent safeguards.
He said, "The Commission held its regular weekly meeting today, Thursday 22nd May 2025. Among other issues, the meeting considered the increasing relevance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to elections and electoral activities in Nigeria and across the world."
"Recently, the Commission attended several conferences with colleagues around the continent on the impact of AI on elections. These interactions were not only motivated by the concern over the use of AI to spread fake news or manipulate content online but also to utilise its benefits for data-driven decision-making, risk detection and mitigation, deepening voter services automation and geo-spatial intelligence in support of logistic optimisation for better material distribution and polling unit allocation."
"Consequently, the Commission approved the creation of an Artificial Intelligence Division under the ICT Department to continue to harness the positive aspects of AI and mitigate its negative impact on elections."
This initiative puts the Commission in the forefront of institutionalising AI capabilities within Nigeria's ICT infrastructure.
"It is also an important step in our ongoing reform of the electoral process in areas that only require administrative action by the Commission," he said.
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