TIME Magazine unveiled the list on Thursday, honouring
leaders, innovators, and thinkers.

Other individuals listed alongside Tijani are Matthew
Prince, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Cloudflare; Elon Musk,
founder of xAI, and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.

Also on the list are Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of
Meta, Andy Jassy, president and CEO of Amazon, and many others.

Reacting to the recognition in a post on X on Thursday, the
minister said his inclusion underscores Nigeria’s growing role in shaping the
global future of artificial intelligence (AI).

“This honour is a reflection of the collective effort of
innovators and partners who believe in the potential of AI to transform
societies,” Tijani said.

“Our journey in AI over the last 2 years has been
transformative.

“From our National AI Strategy (NAIS) — where we got over
120 experts of Nigerian descent to co-create the long term strategy for the
responsible use and development of AI; to research and demonstration
initiatives showing the potentials and practical use cases for AI in critical
sectors like healthcare, agriculture, education, and financial inclusion.”

Tijani said with support from partners such as Google and
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the government is also scaling mature
AI solutions developed by Nigerian innovators by providing mentorship,
resources and support to translate ideas into impact.

He said the government is committed to the long-term
sustainability of AI in Nigeria, citing the launch of the AI Collective — a
community of researchers and practitioners supported by Luminate Group.

“This is also supported by our AI Trust, a body of national
leaders who will support the ongoing investment in AI, ensuring that Nigeria
continues to prioritise its development,” he added.

The minister said the recognition from TIME reinforces
Nigeria’s position as a potential global leader in the responsible and
inclusive use of AI to boost productivity.

Tijani said his commitment is to ensure that AI drives
innovation and also contributes to building a $1 trillion economy as envisioned
by President Bola Tinubu.