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The Ambassador of Israel to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, has pledged stronger collaboration with Nigeria in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), saying Israel will continue to share its expertise to support innovation, entrepreneurship and job creation.
Freeman made the commitment on Thursday at the closing ceremony of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Bootcamp 2026 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 training on AI-driven business development.
Speaking at the event, Freeman said Israel had adopted an ambitious strategy to become one of the world’s leading AI nations and was ready to share its knowledge with Nigeria.
“We are going all in on AI. We are going to be one of the world leaders in AI within the next few years,” he said.
The envoy added that the partnership with Nigeria would continue beyond the current programme.
“We want to share that knowledge where we can with Nigeria. This will not be the last time that we share our knowledge with Nigeria,” Freeman stated.
He described the initiative as the beginning of a serious partnership in artificial intelligence and said Israel would explore more opportunities to engage with Nigeria in the sector. Freeman also challenged the belief that AI would eliminate jobs, arguing that the technology could instead create employment opportunities and help businesses grow.
“AI not only doesn’t take away jobs; it’s going to help you create jobs,” he said.
According to him, wider use of AI will also ensure that African and Nigerian perspectives are represented in the development of future technologies.
“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.
The ambassador encouraged young Nigerians to build their future within the country rather than seeking opportunities abroad.
“Your future is in Nigeria. Everything you need to succeed, you can get here in Nigeria,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, Dor Yaakov, a lead facilitator from the Israeli non-profit organisation Unistream, praised participants for developing innovative solutions to challenges in healthcare, education, agriculture and sustainability. He expressed confidence that some Nigerian startups would eventually grow into globally successful businesses.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of Innov8 Hub, Gregory Ibe Jr., said the programme was designed to use AI as a tool to increase productivity and create jobs rather than replace workers. He noted that about 20 teams participated in the bootcamp and expressed optimism that collaboration between Nigeria and Israel would continue.
