Perched in the rolling hills of southwestern Nigeria, Ekiti State—long celebrated as the “Fountain of Knowledge”—is turning its academic legacy into a springboard for artificial intelligence (AI) leadership. With a literacy rate of 95.7%, the third-highest in the nation, and an out-of-school rate of just 9%, the state is betting that knowledge can be its most valuable economic asset.
The transformation began 14 months ago when the Ministry of Innovation revived and rewrote a dormant ICT policy, adding a robust AI strategy that covers ethics, governance, infrastructure, and education. The policy’s flexibility allows for annual reviews to keep pace with emerging technologies. Former Commissioner Seun Fakuade envisioned AI enhancing government-to-government, government-to-business, and government-to-citizen services, alongside a rare cultural project: training a large language model to fluently speak the Ekiti dialect.
This “Ekiti language bank” aims to preserve cultural identity, enabling localised AI applications in film, customer service, and education—while creating a valuable intellectual property asset. UNESCO warns that 40% of the world’s 6,700 languages face extinction, making this digital preservation a timely intervention.
Infrastructure is the bedrock. Following a drastic cut in right-of-way fees in 2021, fibre optic deployment has grown, with projects linking public institutions like ABUAD, EKSU, and secondary schools. Partnerships with MTN, IHS Towers, and Geniserve are extending connectivity, while the Ministry of Innovation now operates entirely paperless.
Yet, the brain drain persists. Local tech hubs like KinPlus Technologies, McKodev Tech Lab, and PurpleBee Technologies have trained over 1,000 young people in AI, coding, and software development—many of whom migrate to Lagos or abroad. To retain talent, these hubs are building locally relevant AI products, from McKodev’s OctopusVAI website generator for small businesses to PurpleBee’s PBRESULT, an AI-powered school results platform already in use in 20 public secondary schools.
The upcoming Ekiti Knowledge Zone, slated for 2026, will anchor a self-sustaining tech economy, connecting universities, a teaching hospital, and business hubs. Education reforms start early: robotics and AI programs are being introduced to children as young as seven, with support from the UNDP.
Challenges remain—infrastructure gaps, outdated teacher training, and talent flight—but Ekiti’s mix of political will, community-led innovation, and cultural pride positions it as a potential AI leader not just in Nigeria, but across Africa.
