Bosun Tijani listed among Time’s 100 most influential people in AI

Bosun Tijani, the minister of communications, innovation, and digital economy, has been listed among the TIME100 most influential people in AI for 2025.

TIME Magazine unveiled the list on Thursday, honouring leaders, innovators, and thinkers.

Other individuals listed alongside Tijani are Matthew Prince, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Cloudflare; Elon Musk, founder of xAI, and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.

Also on the list are Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Meta, Andy Jassy, president and CEO of Amazon, and many others.

Reacting to the recognition in a post on X on Thursday, the minister said his inclusion underscores Nigeria’s growing role in shaping the global future of artificial intelligence (AI).

“This honour is a reflection of the collective effort of innovators and partners who believe in the potential of AI to transform societies,” Tijani said.

“Our journey in AI over the last 2 years has been transformative.

“From our National AI Strategy (NAIS) — where we got over 120 experts of Nigerian descent to co-create the long term strategy for the responsible use and development of AI; to research and demonstration initiatives showing the potentials and practical use cases for AI in critical sectors like healthcare, agriculture, education, and financial inclusion.”

Tijani said with support from partners such as Google and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the government is also scaling mature AI solutions developed by Nigerian innovators by providing mentorship, resources and support to translate ideas into impact.

He said the government is committed to the long-term sustainability of AI in Nigeria, citing the launch of the AI Collective — a community of researchers and practitioners supported by Luminate Group.

“This is also supported by our AI Trust, a body of national leaders who will support the ongoing investment in AI, ensuring that Nigeria continues to prioritise its development,” he added.

The minister said the recognition from TIME reinforces Nigeria’s position as a potential global leader in the responsible and inclusive use of AI to boost productivity.

Tijani said his commitment is to ensure that AI drives innovation and also contributes to building a $1 trillion economy as envisioned by President Bola Tinubu.