The Ambassador of Israel to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, has pledged deeper collaboration with Nigeria in the field of artificial intelligence, stating that the Israeli government will continue to share its expertise with the country to support job creation, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Freeman made the commitment on Thursday 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, Freeman said Israel had adopted an ambitious strategy to become one of the world’s leading AI nations and was prepared 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.
He added, “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 explained that the collaboration would extend beyond the existing IFAIR programme and involve broader engagement with both the Nigerian government and citizens.
“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 foundation of a more strategic relationship, Freeman stated, “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 remarks come amid growing efforts by Nigeria to strengthen its digital economy and expand the use of emerging technologies across key sectors, including education, healthcare, agriculture, finance, and public services. The Nigerian government has in recent years increased its focus on artificial intelligence, digital innovation, and technology-driven entrepreneurship as part of broader economic diversification efforts.
Freeman also challenged the growing perception that artificial intelligence would eliminate jobs, arguing instead that the technology could become a powerful tool for employment generation and business expansion.
According to him, AI presents an opportunity for Africans to develop solutions tailored to local challenges while ensuring that African perspectives are represented in the evolution of 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 participation 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.
The envoy also encouraged young Nigerians to build their futures within the country rather than seeking opportunities abroad.
“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.
According to him, the bootcamp demonstrated that Nigerian entrepreneurs were developing solutions capable of addressing not only African challenges but also global problems.
He added that the innovations presented during the programme addressed challenges in education, healthcare, agriculture, sustainability, and community development.
Yaakov expressed confidence that some of the ideas emerging from Nigeria would eventually grow into globally successful startups.
“This is why I’m sure that we will hear about startups from Nigeria that succeed around the world and solve problems for millions of people,” he stated.
He also commended Innov8 Hub for hosting the programme and promoting innovation.
Speaking with journalists after the event, the Managing Director of Innov8 Hub, Gregory Ibe Jr., described the programme as a unique intervention designed to use AI to increase productivity and create employment opportunities rather than replace workers.
Ibe explained that the training focused on helping entrepreneurs deploy AI to strengthen businesses and expand economic opportunities.
“This was a unique programme in the sense that the AI was made for increasing the productivity of your business, not in the typical AI format that just looks to remove jobs and remove employment.
“This is an AI with the goal of actually increasing jobs, increasing the exposures that we have, increasing the efficiencies that people have,” he said.
According to him, about 20 teams participated in the programme alongside members of Innov8 Hub’s staff.
He expressed optimism that the collaboration would continue in the future.
The development follows recent efforts by Nigeria and Israel to strengthen bilateral relations, with discussions between both countries increasingly focused on security, healthcare, technology, innovation, and economic cooperation as areas of mutual interest and strategic partnership.
