When you think of a Civil Servant, you may picture stacks of paper, formal processes, and long queues. When you think of an AI Expert, you might imagine a world of technology and data. These two images seem very different. But what if combining these two roles could improve government services? What if the person handling your paperwork could also use artificial intelligence to make services more efficient and cut through bureaucratic red tape?
This is the future Nigeria’s government is building. Through a partnership with Google and Apolitical, the Federal Government has launched an AI Campus. This digital learning platform aims to transform public servants into leaders in smart governance. The aim isn’t to teach everyone to code but to teach government workers how to use AI to make policies smarter, public services faster, and bureaucracy a little less… bureaucratic.
The Government AI Campus is a global learning initiative created by Apolitical, an education platform for public servants used in over 170 countries. Supported by partners like Google.org and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, it aims to train 25 million civil servants worldwide by 2027, making AI literacy as fundamental as reading email.
Now, Nigeria has become one of its earliest African adopters. The program’s focus: help government officials learn how to use AI responsibly, from automating data-heavy tasks to understanding how algorithms influence decision-making.
Why is Practical AI Training the Missing Piece?
Nigeria recognises that AI is essential for good governance, not just a tool for the future. Government ministries handle vast amounts of data daily, from collecting revenue to managing healthcare records. However, much of this data remains unused because workers feel unsure about how to use it.
With the AI Campus, civil servants can take courses like “How AI Can Improve Public Services” and “AI Ethics and Bias in Policy Decisions.” These courses are aimed at policy makers, project managers, and other everyday officials, not just tech experts.
Each course includes interactive labs, case studies from countries like Singapore and the UK, and guided reflections on how to adapt AI to African conditions, such as unreliable internet, tight budgets, and low data literacy.
Nigeria’s public service employs over 1.2 million people. This large workforce can greatly influence how 200 million citizens interact with their government. However, most training programs have focused on traditional administration rather than new technologies.
To address this, the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy is launching the AI Campus. This initiative aims to change the current approach. It also supports Nigeria’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, which aims to create an AI-driven public sector that provides more transparent, efficient, and citizen-focused services.
Building the Bureaucracy of the Future
The AI Campus is a training platform that is changing how government employees learn. According to the 2025 Government AI Campus in Action Report, early tests in Europe, Asia, and Latin America show that civil servants trained in AI are three times more likely to use digital tools in their work and twice as likely to try out automation.
In Nigeria, a pilot group will connect with a global network of learners who share best practices, insights, and local innovations, such as data dashboards in Rwanda and chatbot services in Estonia.
The partnership with Google will continue to invest in local content, including case studies specific to Nigeria, translations in Yoruba and Hausa, and modules focused on health, education, and finance. Future plans include working with the 3MTT program to extend training to young people involved in projects linked to the government.
As the world moves to adopt AI in many areas, Nigeria’s approach sends a clear message: transformation starts with people, not machines.
