By Mercy Adi
The Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer of MTN Nigeria, Tobe Okigbo, has underscored the urgent need for African countries to deepen digital connectivity as a practical pathway to continental integration, amid persistent physical and logistical barriers.
Speaking on the sidelines of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) 7th Ordinary Session of the Conference of Plenipotentiaries (CPL-26) gala night in Abuja, Okigbo said Africa must leverage digital infrastructure to bridge gaps in mobility, trade, and communication across borders.
He noted that while physical connectivity such as roads, rail, and transport systems remains critical, digital connectivity offers a faster and more scalable solution to unite the continent.
“There’s a need for Africa to come together. We have all sorts of challenges across Africa, It is easier for a businessman from Europe to travel across Africa than for an African to move within the continent. That’s a problem.”
Okigbo described this limitation as a major setback to intra-African trade and collaboration, stressing that digital platforms can help overcome such barriers in the interim.
“The easier way to do it is actually digital the ability to pick up the phone and speak to someone in Johannesburg, Nairobi, Kinshasa or Mombasa in their dailect. Digital connectivity makes it easier to bring the continent together,” he added.
He said the ATU conference provides a platform for African leaders and stakeholders to explore ways of strengthening collaboration and building cohesion, particularly among the continent’s youthful population.
“Africa has the youngest population in the world. How do we get them talking to each other and building the cohesion we need to move the continent forward? That is what ATU is trying to achieve,” he said.
On the unveiling of Nigeria’s AI initiative, “N-Atlas Omoja,” by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Okigbo highlighted the importance of inclusivity in artificial intelligence development.
According to him, one of the major risks of AI globally is bias and exclusion, particularly for communities whose languages are not represented in digital systems.
“There’s a lot of bias in AI today because most systems are not built in our languages,” he said. “What Nigeria is doing is to make AI ours building it in our languages and expanding it across Africa.”
He explained that the initiative aims to ensure that Africans can interact with AI tools in their native languages, thereby broadening access and participation in the digital economy.
“Whether you speak Swahili, Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba, the AI should be able to interact with you in your language. That’s how we democratize technology,” Okigbo stated.
He commended the ATU leadership for fostering a unified continental approach, noting that collaboration among African countries will be key to scaling such innovations.