Table of Contents
TL;DR,
- Dr. Odaibo proposes a $2-10 billion AI talent development fund (minimum $1B annually) to transform Nigeria from tech consumer to global leader.
- Nigeria must shift from seeking foreign investment to nurturing local AI talent, following India’s IT playbook to produce global tech leaders.
- Practical enablers like cloud access, laptops, and merit-based rewards are critical for Nigeria’s AI talent development success.
AI, blockchain, Bitcoin, and fintech—these are the narratives currently blowing up Africa’s tech industry. An exclusive conversation with RETINA-AI Health’s Dr. Stephen Odaibo showcases how AI talent development takes the entire cake. His take was clear-cut, showing why Africa remains a consumer and the US remains the leader. The secret: Africa focuses on foreign investment instead of nurturing local talent to catch up with technological advancements.
It’s the difference between fostering the future and focusing on survival.
Why “taking big bets” matters right now
Dr. Stephen Odaibo, a US‑trained physician, mathematician, computer scientist, and CEO of RETINA‑AI Health, grew up in Ilorin, Kwara State.
When Dr. Odaibo speaks of “taking big bets,” he focuses on advocating for a focus on the future instead of now. The CEO makes a clear plea to his native home: Nigeria must shift from admiring potential to underwriting it.
That means a national AI talent development drive matched with material support. This can come in different forms, like cloud credits, working laptops, standards for performance, and rewards for those who meet them. At stake is whether Nigeria moves beyond pilots to sustained AI funding that unlocks enterprise value and jobs.
He offers practical solutions; for instance, Nigeria is already teeming with potential, natural resources, and an evident determination from Nigerian youths. Yet those are illiquid—you can’t deploy “potential” to train models or scale a startup.
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The United States wins, he argues, because it takes big bets. India did the same with information technology decades ago and now boasts leaders at the helm of major global firms. Today, individuals born and raised in India occupy CEO positions at numerous Fortune 100 companies, and every major global corporation maintains significant operations there.
“A country does not have to be wealthy to take a bet. A bet simply means we are taking a risk regardless of how much money we have. Nigeria can afford to take at least one billion from the annual budget and spend it on AI. That’s an easy decision to make.”
The Case for Bold AI Funding Commitments
Dr. Odaibo’s proposal is specific enough to act on:
- Create a dedicated national AI fund in the $2–10B range (and, at a minimum, allocate $1B annually).
- Appoint fund managers to ensure enterprise‑grade results and accountability.
- Equip identified builders with cloud access and reliable laptops.
- Establish clear technical standards; reward only those who meet the bar.
He calls it a tough but necessary choice, even amid power constraints, because AI is the growth engine the world is converging on. In his words, a country need not be wealthy to take a bet; it needs conviction. Nigeria, he adds, can afford to earmark at least $1B from its annual budget for this purpose.
The global CEO states that the current moment is an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to significantly increase their earnings through the power of AI, indicating that investments in AI talent development will eventually yield positive results..
Retina‑AI’s playbook: proof that investment pays off
Dr. Odaibo’s advocacy carries credibility precisely because Retina-AI Health demonstrates what’s possible when talent meets opportunity. His achievements and platform offer a real‑world case study of what happens when scientific rigor meets entrepreneurial focus.
It’s a template Nigeria’s builders can emulate through AI talent development. The company’s flagship, RETINA‑AI Galaxy, is a cloud‑based software‑as‑a‑medical‑device that autonomously analyzes retinal photographs for diabetic retinopathy in primary care settings. It’s FDA‑cleared, works with multiple robotic cameras (CenterVue DRSPlus, Crystalvue NFC‑700, and Topcon NW400), and can be operated by clinic staff with just four hours of training.
The clinical results are striking. In large, prospective, multi‑site studies, the system achieved high specificity with exceptional sensitivity. This includes 100% sensitivity for vision‑threatening diabetic retinopathy across tested cameras. In practice, the output is simple and actionable: “no disease detected, retest in 12 months” or “disease detected, refer to an eye care professional.”
The business model is equally pragmatic with ample support. The company has raised $13 million across three funding rounds, with 80% of Series A capital coming from physician investors—a strong signal of clinical validation.
For Nigeria’s builders, the takeaway is clear: outcomes like these emerge when AI talent development meets focused capital and market‑aligned execution.
What smart AI regulation in Nigeria should look like
Dr. Odaibo stresses that regulation, handled well, can be a tool for advancement.
“Regulation can be a tool for advancement when properly done to make sure that it helps people,” he explained.
Partnering with local startups to meet licensing and compliance thresholds can align incentives and keep value onshore. The proposed bill on AI regulation in Nigeria points in that direction.
In a recent article, we demonstrated how Nigeria is gunning to dominate AI development in Africa through the National Artificial Intelligence Council (NAIC), which supervises, licenses, and audits AI activities with mandatory registration for developers, importers, and deployers of AI systems. High-risk fields like healthcare and finance would have to follow stricter rules, such as doing impact assessments and being open about where data comes from and how algorithms are made.
The bill is in line with Nigeria’s Data Protection Act (2023) and stresses the importance of notice, explainability, and audit trails. It also takes into account foreign systems, such as import controls and possible takedowns if standards aren’t met. It is next to the Bletchley Declaration (2023) and the NDPA GAID directive (May 2024). There are worries about the bureaucratic burden of Nigeria’s current patchwork of laws, but AI regulation is meant to keep an eye on things while also encouraging new ideas.
Practical enablers: cloud, devices, and AI training programs
“We all need external help. At some point, we’d need somebody to take a bet on us.”
The immediate wins are refreshingly practical. Dr. Odaibo urges ensuring that identified builders have cloud access and reliable laptops. On the skills front, Nigeria has begun to move. In October 2025, the government, working with Google and Apolitical, announced an initiative to train civil servants on AI and governance, and the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program launched in December 2023 to nurture youth skills. These government AI initiatives are a start, but—as he notes—more can be done.
Scaling AI training programs alongside cloud credits will accelerate outcomes. Tie selection to merit, set performance standards, and reward those who achieve them. These steps work with the policy framework and make it easier for startups to obey the rules.
And growing AI training programs helps make sure that the talent pool keeps up with demand from healthcare, finance, public services, and other fields. As more AI projects from the government start up, it will be important to work together to avoid doing the same thing twice and get the most out of them.
Dr. Odaibo really cares about being a mentor, but he knows he doesn’t have enough time. His recent textbook (The Foundational Mathematics of Artificial Intelligence) aims to give ambitious learners a rigorous roadmap. His counsel to young builders is grounded: think long‑term, work hard, and don’t lose heart. Nigeria’s environment is challenging; external help matters. But with a steady, focused grind, the compounding effects can be profound.
