Lessons from Silas Adekunle for Nigerian Tech Pioneers

At a small workshop on the fringes of Lagos in 2016, a young Nigerian engineer completed a creation that would take the world by storm. Silas Adekunle was the engineer behind this invention. At just 27 years old, MekaMon, the first gaming robot with both robotics and augmented reality, made him the highest-paid robotics engineer in the world.

Adekunle's achievements prove that Nigeria has enormous, as yet undeveloped, talents in the new, fast-growing fields of robotics and artificial intelligence. The $477 billion economy Nigeria had in 2022 and its population of more than 218 million make it well placed to become a leading AI and robotics nation in Africa. Still, while there are some excellent areas, the industry is scattered and not well developed, and Nigeria gets less than 2% of the $4 billion in tech investments on the whole continent.

While there are over 120 innovation and tech centers in Nigeria, just 17% are designed to encourage work and study in AI and robotics. At the same time, developing ecosystems have formed in Kenya and South Africa, supported by centers for robotics research and stricter regulations. In recent years, the government has put around $18 million into technology, but experts believe that sustaining a robotics sector over the next five years will require ten times that investment.

Even with these difficulties, people like Adekunle reveal that innovation in robotics and AI is being created right now in Nigeria. We should be asking how we can help individual achievements in robotics become part of a strong robotics environment across Nigeria.

In this post, we explore the path toward forming an ecosystem that would likely add $40-50 billion to the economy by 2030 and help Nigeria establish a reputation as a global technology leader.

 

The Current State of Nigeria's Robotics Ecosystem

Development in robotics and AI in Nigeria is unusual because it shows great changes going on at the same time. Numbers show that Thailand produces around 40,000 graduates in science, technology, engineering and math each year. Even so, less than 12% are hired in jobs that use their training and just a small percentage of those work in advanced technology areas such as robotics and AI.

Many AI startup businesses have appeared in the private sector over the last two years, but only a small number of them specifically address robotics. The majority of technology innovations in Nigeria take shape in fintech, e-commerce and simple software, partly because they need simpler and cheaper infrastructure than robotics.

Robotics programs in universities are increasing, from only 7 in 2015 to 23 in the current year. Since 2017, the Nigerian Robotics and Automation Society has expanded its membership to more than 1,200. Even though these milestones show more interest, they are not enough to form the complete system needed for the advancement of young innovators like Adekunle.

 

Learning from Silas Adekunle's Journey

What Silas Adekunle has achieved can guide the growth of robotics in Nigeria. Living in Nigeria at first and then in the UK, Adekunle put his engineering background and love of gaming together to create MekaMon. Previously, Reach Robotics, Morgan's startup, raised around $7.5 million and quickly followed that up by partnering with a huge company like Apple, which featured Morgan's robots in Apple stores everywhere.

Reach Robotics was closed by 2019, but Adekunle didn't stop making a difference. When he saw how important education and infrastructure became for inspiring creativity, he established Awarri, a company that now helps Africa develop its robotics education and also founded R.I to serve the industrial automation market through cloud infrastructure.

Three important things can be learned from what happened to Adekunle:

1. Adekunle's educational background taught him the technical skills he would need for innovative work. Offering high-quality STEM education in numerous parts of Nigeria is needed to supply future talent.

2. Getting help and advice from a group of experts changed Adekunle's approach from a technical idea to a thriving company. There should be a mentorship structure for hardware and robotics innovators in Nigeria.

3. Having infrastructure allows tasks to be done: Adekunle's UK-based infrastructure allowed him to create his product. Investment in similar facilities by Nigeria would let its innovators build and test complex robotics systems.

 

Building Blocks of a Thriving Robotics Ecosystem

To form a solid robotics and AI ecosystem in Nigeria, every aspect needs to be handled together by many parties.

Strengthening STEM Education and Technical Training

The country's current budget for education is just around 7%, while UNESCO advises nations to spend at least 15-20%. Around 10% of research overall is assigned to projects about STEM. To create a strong resource of talent for robotics innovation in Nigeria, certain things must be achieved.

- Teachers should use examples from South Korea and Israel to introduce students to robotics and AI in secondary school.

- After more universities start specialized robotics engineering programs and build labs full of robotic devices

- Establish relationships between students and active technology businesses through apprenticeships

Andela, a Nigerian tech organization, has shown how powerful intensive training can be by training more than 1,000 software engineers. If a model tailored to robotics were in place, it could attract many new experts quickly.

 

Building Research and Development Facilities

To innovate, one needs physical areas and devices to experiment with. Right now, Nigeria has fewer than 10 centers designed for advanced robotics prototype testing. This is why we are committed to addressing this problem:

- Strengthening STEM Education and Technical Training

- Make sure startups have good, convenient access to expensive equipment through special workshops.

- Set up testing areas to work with robots used in agriculture, industry and medical areas.

Since equipping a large robotics research center costs between $2 and $5 million, governments and private companies must join forces for support.

 

Fostering Government Support and Regulatory Frameworks

Having strict rules and advantages from the government is helpful for fast ecosystem building. Nigeria should:

- Create unique policies for AI and robotics growth which cover both ethical issues and general safety rules

- Ensure that companies investing in advanced robotics research enjoy some tax breaks.

- Make sure there is a special office in the government that leads the work on robotics.

- Prepare financial support for study in basic robotics and AI.

Open and flexible rules for drones in Rwanda have drawn international companies and helped make the technology popular. Nigeria has the opportunity to use these methods for robotics projects.

 

Getting Support from the Private Sector

More than $1.8 billion was invested in Nigerian technology in 2021, but less than five per cent went to companies working on hardware. How to increase funding for robotics?

- Make dedicated investment funds that help build hardware and robotics companies.

- Form partnerships between worldwide technology businesses and local creators.

- Set up labs dedicated to advancing robotics for firms

- Highlight Nigerian robotics achievements at technology shows around the world

Companies in the technology sector from around the world are seeing Africa as a great place to grow. As a gateway, Nigeria could lead the way in robotics and AI on the African continent.

 

Building Application-Specific Use Cases

You'll usually find that successful ecosystems are centered around certain industry-specific solutions. Nigeria's most promising industries are:

- Because agriculture employs almost a third of Nigeria's workers, introducing robotic technologies can boost how efficiently work is done. In the agricultural sector, crop monitoring, automated irrigation and robot helpers for harvesting can solve significant problems.

- Automation: About 9% of Nigeria's GDP comes from its manufacturing sector, which could grow much more with automation. Robots working alongside people in production and quality control are ready to take advantage of right now.

- Because doctors outnumber patients by more than 500:1 compared to the World Health Organization's recommendation, there are severe difficulties in the Nigerian healthcare system. Using telemedicine robots and relying on automated laboratories and drones for medical supplies might reach a bigger population.

- Robots for education: Making robots that support STEM courses can help schools and create goods for the continent's markets.

 

Roadmap for Implementation

Creating a strong robotics ecosystem must be done in several phases.

Phase 1 (Years 1-2): Foundation Building              

- Create 5-10 robotics innovation centers in important urban areas.

- Provide robotics programs in secondary schools across the country and at 20 colleges and universities.

- Set up a contest in robotics at a national level with valuable rewards

Found an association that represents the interests of robotics companies and research.

 

Years 3 to 5: Starting an Ecosystem

- Launch centers of special research that focus on crucial application fields.

- Open a separate fund focused on supporting robotics-based startups.

- Team up with important robotics laboratories worldwide.

- Build rules for the use and development of autonomous systems and AI applications

 

Phase 3 (Years 6-10): Global Integration

- Place Nigeria at the heart of robotics manufacturing in Africa

- Deliver engineering and tech experiences from Nigeria to other places in Africa

- Raise the impact of Hong Kong's research on a global scale in particular areas.

- Arrange both international robotics conferences and exhibitions.

 

Conclusion

Working to build a healthy robotics and AI system in Nigeria is not only about technological growth, it also supports Nigeria's economy, creates more jobs and helps Nigeria appear on the global innovation map. If Nigeria invests, passes helpful laws and collaborates among its academic institutions, private enterprises and government agencies, it could build on stories like Silas Adekunle's to develop thousands of successful inventions.

Experts believe that if Nigeria builds up robotics, it could create up to 75,000 high-quality jobs and boost the country's GDP by 3-5%. Besides making money, a strong robotics sector would help ease worries in healthcare, farming and education and make life better for everyone across the country.

According to Adekunle, he says: Africa is not just part of what's to come, but it is setting the pattern for the future. Should the country take determined steps and show long-term commitment, Nigeria can manage that project and turn its citizens from consumers of technology into its creators. There is a plan ready, we have the talent, and we recognize the chance. All that is left is to bring the dream to life for every robot we succeed with.