By Sola Ojo, Abuja
Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has warned that Nigeria risks missing out on the opportunities of the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution due to poor leadership and weak policy implementation.
Obi gave the warning on Friday, September 26, 2025, while delivering the keynote speech at the Nigerian Association of Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists in the Americas (NAPPSA) Annual Conference in Chicago.
His lecture was titled: “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence in Pharmaceutical Development and Healthcare Delivery.”
In that lecture, Obi stressed that while AI was already reshaping healthcare and other sectors globally, Africa is lagging behind.
“Artificial Intelligence builds upon the digital revolution and will transform every aspect of human life, particularly healthcare, but I fear that Africa, and Nigeria in particular, may once again fail to take full advantage of this shift.
“The reasons are not far-fetched: poor leadership, weak policy formulation, and the perennial challenge of policy implementation,” he added.
The former governor compared Nigeria’s experience with global development targets to that of Asian countries, noting that while many Asian nations successfully aligned with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Africa struggled to achieve similar results.
According to him, competent and visionary leadership remains the most critical factor.
“For African nations, especially Nigeria, to harness the opportunities of the AI revolution, competent leadership is non-negotiable.
“We need leaders with capacity, character, compassion, and commitment—leaders who understand the transformative potential of AI and can position our societies to embrace it as a tool to leapfrog development,” he declared.
Later in the day, Obi also delivered another keynote speech at the University of Chicago, at an event themed “Youth and Development Across the Diaspora: Vision, Purpose, Impact.”
Unlike his earlier address, Obi adopted an interactive approach, engaging participants in a dialogue of questions and answers.
“The conversation proved vibrant, thought-provoking, and deeply rewarding for all involved,” he said.
He urged young Africans in the diaspora to remain actively engaged in the continent’s development.
“Africa’s future will be shaped not only by policies at home but also by the engagement, innovation, and solidarity of Africans in the diaspora,” Obi told the audience.
The events were part of Obi’s ongoing engagements with professional and academic communities in the United States.
