Photo: Dr ‘Bosun Tijani, flanks by stakeholders during the lauch
On May 21, 2026, Dr ‘Bosun Tijani, Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy , launched a new multilingual, AI-powered voice and text chatbot, designed to provide Nigerians with seamless access to comprehensive information on all government services.
The chatbot was developed by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy (FMCIDE), in collaboration with Meta, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), and local developer partner Publica AI.
” The GovGuide initiative reflects our commitment to leveraging artificial intelligence to make government services and information more accessible and responsive to the needs of Nigerians.” said Minister Tijani during Meta’s Economic Impact report launch in Nigeria.
He emphasised that by deploying AI-powered tools in local languages and on platforms people already use daily, we are improving access to public services and also strengthening transparency, trust, and citizen engagement.
“GovGuide Nigeria is a voice and text AI assistant in English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba that gives every Nigerian, including rural and low-literacy users, easier access to information on government services.
This is exactly how open-source AI creates lasting value: enabling homegrown innovation, supporting local talent, and putting powerful tools to work in service of the people who need them most,” he said.
Ignatius Willie, CEO, Publica AI, commented, “Today is not just a product launch. It is a step towards democratising how Nigerians engage with their government. With GovGuide Nigeria, we are not simply digitising access to public services; we are making them conversational, multilingual, and available on the channels Nigerians already use every day.”
