CJID launches AI campus network in Lagos

… targets 10,000 young African tech talents by 2030

As part of plan to train 10,000 young 10,000 young African talents in artificial intelligence, digital technology, and media technology by 2030, the Centre for Journalism Innovation Development (CJID), on Wednesday, started its AI campus network programme at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) located in Akoka area of the state.

The institution served as the inaugural host institution for the AI Campus Network, in collaboration with the Unilag chapter of the Google Developers Groups on Campus (GDGoC) while the program expands to other universities in Nigeria and by fourth quarter of 2025, the organisation plans to launch in Ghana and other African countries to achieve the 10,000 talent target in the next five years.

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The programme will honour the winning team a prize of N500,000 at the end of the hackathon while the first runner-up wins a N300,000 prize, and N200,000 for the second runner-up.

The organisation’s Executive Director, Akintunde Babatunde, in his address, called on students to reason critically as a way of innovating answers that can solve real-world challenges.

While noting that CJID will provide laptops to exceptional students as part digital tools to required to excel in their initiatives said, “Some of the world’s most transformative tech platforms, like Facebook, Google, even the internet itself, began as university projects.

“This initiative is part of CJID’s AI Campus Network and our broader commitment to training 10,000 tech talents across Africa by 2030.

“We are not just hosting events, we are nurturing the ecosystem for Africa’s next wave of innovators.”

Akintunde earlier noted that organization is repositioning young Africans to be not just users, but creators and leaders in the technology space.

He described the programme as “not just a skills-building project—it’s about transforming Africa’s role in the global tech ecosystem.”

He reassured of CJID’s commitment to ensuring that young people from diverse backgrounds, especially women and underrepresented groups, have the tools, mentorship, and opportunities to shape the future of AI and media technology.

“We are not waiting for the future to happen—we are building it,” he said.

Also, a smart shopping platform connecting Lagos buyers to trusted sellers across multiple categories called ‘Lagbuy’ and an AI-powered assistant for journalists that automates content creation ‘JournalAIse’ were also unveiled as part of tools presented during the event.

Participants at the events commended CJID for the programme while giving an insight of their initiative. One of them, Ramat Alabi, who and her team is developing a platform called ‘GradLink AI’, designed to give university students personalised guidance on career paths, along with access to internships, scholarships, and job offers; hailed CJID for the opportunity.

A student of the varsity, Sadiq Teslim, disclosed the development of a diagnostic AI tool that enables farmers to detect pests and plant diseases early through image recognition called ‘AgroScan’ and VeriFact, a fact-checking platform tailored to support journalists in combating misinformation and disinformation, adding that they are seeking funding and support to take the project further.

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