The Ambassador of Israel to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, on Thursday pledged deeper collaboration with Nigeria in the field of artificial intelligence, saying the Israeli government would continue sharing its expertise with the country to support job creation, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Freeman made the commitment at the closing ceremony of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Bootcamp 2026 held in Abuja. The four-day programme, organised by Innov8 Hub under the theme “From Ideas to Impact: Building AI-Enabled Ventures for the Future,” brought together young innovators, startup founders, researchers and entrepreneurs for intensive training on innovation and AI-driven business development.
Speaking during the event, the envoy said Israel had adopted an ambitious strategy to become one of the world’s leading AI nations and was willing to share its knowledge with Nigeria through existing and future partnerships. “We are going all in on AI. We are going to be one of the world leaders in AI within the next few years,” Freeman said.
“We want to share that knowledge where we can with Nigeria, primarily through Innov8, but through other places. And I will make a commitment now that this was the first time we’ve done this. This will not be the last time that we share our knowledge with Nigeria.” The ambassador said the collaboration would extend beyond the existing IFAIR programme and involve broader engagement with the Nigerian government and people.
“We will look at other opportunities to engage with the Nigerian government, to engage with the Nigerian people in order to bring more expertise and to bring more knowledge across so that together we can build a better future not only for Israel but also for Nigeria,” he said.
Describing the initiative as the beginning of a more strategic relationship, Freeman said, “This is an extension of the partnership that was already going, but it’s the beginning of a serious partnership that we’re going to look to do in the field of AI.” The envoy also challenged the growing perception that artificial intelligence would eliminate jobs, arguing that the technology could instead become a powerful tool for employment generation and business growth.
According to him, AI offers an opportunity for Africans to develop solutions tailored to local challenges while ensuring that African perspectives are reflected in emerging technologies. “AI not only doesn’t take away jobs; it’s going to help you create jobs. Not only is AI a tool that can be used; it’s a tool that can be used to make your products better, to make you better, to allow you to bring more Nigerians, more people into a more successful business,” he said.
Freeman noted that wider adoption of AI would help strengthen African representation in global technological development. “The more that you use AI and the more that you engage with AI, the more there will be an African voice in AI, the more there will be a Nigerian voice in AI,” he added.
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“The message is that your future is in Nigeria, that everything you need to succeed, you can get here in Nigeria,” Freeman said. “Your future’s not in Canada or in America or in Britain or in Australia or any other place in the world. Your future is here.” Earlier, a lead facilitator from Unistream, an Israeli non-profit organisation focused on entrepreneurship development, Dor Yaakov, praised the creativity and problem-solving abilities displayed by participants during the programme.