Nigeria’s digital future: Experts urge teens to build, not just consume AI

…Challenge youths to develop competence, character, solve real-world problems

By Juliet Umeh

Experts in technology and digital innovation have challenged Nigerian teenagers to move beyond consuming digital content and begin using artificial intelligence, AI, and digital skills to create solutions to Nigeria’s real-world challenges.

The experts said the country’s growing digital economy would require a new generation of young Nigerians equipped not only with digital skills, but also with creativity, discipline, critical thinking and strong character.

They spoke during the Teens Week programme of Victoria Island Worship Centre, VIWC, held from Monday, August 3, to Sunday, August 9, 2026, with the theme, “Wired for Uncommon Exploits.”

Speaking during a panel session on Sunday, themed “Uncommon Exploits as 21st Century Digital Natives,” a product manager and Computer Science graduate, Mrs Tosin Momoh, said Nigerian teenagers should see AI as a tool for learning, creativity, productivity and problem-solving, rather than a replacement for human thinking.

She urged students to understand their subjects before using AI tools such as ChatGPT and other large language models, advising them to use the technology to review their work, identify mistakes and deepen their understanding.

Momoh said: “Rather than just going to prompt the question and ask, ‘How do I solve this?’, you could do a rough work and give it to the system and ask the system to explain to me how this can be done.
“Explain to me in detail the steps. What should I do better?”

According to her, the rapid growth of AI presents Nigerian youths with opportunities to create solutions and businesses across sectors including education, fashion, content creation, coding and website development.

She, however, warned against excessive dependence on AI-generated answers without acquiring the knowledge and skills required to understand and apply the technology.
Momoh also urged teenagers building digital communities to establish clear purposes, values and guidelines, while encouraging members to learn, contribute and access mentorship.
On cybersecurity, she warned Nigerian teenagers against phishing, fake job offers, social engineering, suspicious links and excessive disclosure of personal information online.
She advised them to use different passwords, activate two-factor authentication where available and avoid giving AI platforms unnecessary personal information.
In his keynote speech, Microsoft Certified Trainer and Microsoft Excel MVP, Engr. Victor Momoh, challenged Nigerian teenagers to develop their abilities and deploy them to create value for themselves and society.
Momoh said Nigeria needed young people who could move from passive consumption of technology to becoming creators capable of identifying and solving problems around them.
“Consumers just scroll — TikTok, YouTube, Instagram. We are scrollers. But we want to move from scrollers to builders, people that build, people that design,” he said.
He urged the teenagers to look around their communities and identify genuine challenges that could be addressed through technology, stressing that digital skills would have greater impact when applied to real-life needs.
“You only get the full benefit when you solve a problem. When there’s a need and you solve a problem,” he said.
Momoh said developing competence required deliberate effort, discipline and patience, noting that talent alone could not guarantee sustainable success.
He urged the teenagers to study, develop their skills and cultivate discipline, stressing that they must put their God-given abilities to work.
He also emphasised the importance of character, saying: “Your gifts should build up people. Your exploits should glorify God.”
Momoh urged the youths to see Nigeria’s challenges as opportunities to innovate and create value, rather than waiting for ready-made solutions.
He summarised his charge to the teenagers as: “Know God, develop yourself and deploy yourself.”
The experts stressed that as AI and emerging technologies continue to reshape education, employment and business in Nigeria, young Nigerians must acquire digital skills early enough to participate actively in the country’s digital economy.
They said Nigeria’s digital future would depend not only on access to technology, but also on the ability of its young population to understand, create with and responsibly deploy emerging technologies.
According to them, the goal should not merely be to consume technology but to understand it, create with it, solve Nigeria’s problems through it and use it responsibly.

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