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Tag: automation

  • The Future of Talent Acquisition in Nigeria: The Rise of AI and Automation

    The Future of Talent Acquisition in Nigeria: The Rise of AI and Automation

    As Nigeria’s workforce grows and the world of work keeps evolving, a quiet but changing moment is unfolding in how companies find, evaluate, and keep talent. At the centre of this is artificial intelligence (AI). A technology that once felt like science fiction is now becoming a real part of hiring and job search decisions nationwide.

    With thousands of young people actively seeking jobs in Nigeria, recruiters are under immense pressure to manage high application volumes efficiently. This is where AI and automation are beginning to play a transformative role.

    We’ve seen automation transform industries like banking, logistics, and telecoms. Its penetration into talent acquisition is newer and more complicated.

    A Moment of Reckoning in Nigerian HR

    According to a recent qualitative study involving 20 Nigerian HR leaders across industries, AI adoption in recruitment is no longer an abstract concept. The study, titled Insights from HR Leaders on How AI Will Impact Hiring and HR, reveals a growing use of AI-driven hiring tools, with 80% of respondents saying their organisations are already experimenting with or planning to invest in automation for recruitment processes in the next five years.

    “Across every stage of the employee lifecycle, AI is becoming a powerful tool for enhancing HR processes, optimising organisational effectiveness, and enriching employee experience,” says one of the respondents.

    The report conducted by the popular HR tech company in Nigeria,  MyJobMag highlights several key trends:

    • Resume screening and filtering are being automated using natural language learning-based tools,

    • Data from recruitment campaigns is increasingly being used to predict candidate quality and retention,

    • HR teams are concerned about bias, transparency, and candidate trust.

    This enthusiasm, coupled with concern, defines the current state of talent acquisition in Nigeria.

    The Case for AI in Nigeria’s Labour Market

    Nigeria’s labour force is both young and massive. With over 60% of the population under 25 and millions entering the job market each year, recruiters face an overwhelming volume of applications for a limited number of roles. For one graduate role at a startup, a founder reported receiving over 5,000 applications, a logistical nightmare by any standard.

    However, AI promises a solution: the ability to analyse CVs, rank candidates, and perform basic assessments at scale. In theory, this reduces human bias and saves HR professionals hundreds of hours of manual review.

    “Smart algorithms will scan thousands of applications to identify top-fit candidates based on skills, culture fit, and even career trajectory—reducing time-to-hire and improving quality of hire”, admitted one of the respondents in the MyJobMag report.

    But Is AI Fair? The Risks of Unchecked Automation

    Despite its promise, AI in recruitment raises critical ethical concerns, especially in a country where bias, nepotism, and informal hiring networks are already deeply embedded in professional culture. Without proper safeguards, algorithmic hiring could amplify bias, not eliminate it.

    Moreover, most tools adopted in Nigeria are built on Western datasets, trained on English language norms, and deployed with little local customisation. This raises risks of cultural mismatch, language misinterpretation, or systemic exclusion of candidates without “elite” educational backgrounds.

    40% of the HR leaders interviewed in the MyJobMag report also voiced specific fears. According to one of the respondents,  “I am most particular about the aspect of bias in the use of AI.”

    This highlights the need for a human touch in the hiring process, where automation supports but does not replace human judgment.

    The Way Forward

    It does appear that to build a future-ready talent acquisition system based on the report findings, recruiters, HR, employers, and companies must embrace the following:

    1. Transparency: Algorithms used for hiring must be explainable, auditable, and open to candidate feedback.

    2. Inclusion: Tools must be adapted for local languages, accents, and digital literacy levels.

    3. Regulation: Government frameworks should be developed to protect applicants and guide responsible adoption.

    4. Training: HR teams must be upskilled to understand AI tools, interpret outputs, and ensure fairness.

    5. Partnership: Cross-sector collaboration is essential between tech companies, HR professionals, academics, and regulators.

    Recognising Nigeria’s diverse educational backgrounds and substantial informal employment sector, Ogugua Belonwu, founder of MyJobMag, highlighted the importance of ongoing oversight. In his words:

    “Recruiters must continually audit AI-driven decisions to ensure fairness and transparency. Most AI tools currently used are not trained on local data, which can affect how candidate information is interpreted. HR professionals should also partner with local tech platforms like MyJobMag to understand the nuances of the market as we lead AI adoption in Nigeria’s recruitment industry.”

    Conclusion

    For Nigeria, adopting AI in recruitment is an opportunity to address hiring challenges and build a more transparent and scalable labour market. But this future is not guaranteed. It requires intentional design, ethical deployment, and continuous oversight. Above all, Nigeria is uniquely positioned to lead with AI if it chooses to build responsibly.

  • Ways home automation will change way you live

    Picture yourself jumping from the era of walking over to the wall to switch off the lights to one where you can control the lighting, temperature, security, refrigerator and ventilation from your smartphone? Welcome to the era of smart homes.

    Homes are getting smarter, thanks to technological advancement. You are gradually moving to that point in the future where the voice assistant becomes integrated into your home; everything in your home will be controlled by your voice.

    Things are going to change from what you currently experience in your home. Here are 5 ways home automation will change the way you live.

    Monitoring Your Home Gets Easier

    You will eventually move away from installing expensive spy cameras all over your house to being notified the moment there is a breach of your security protocols.

    With home automation, you will be able to check in on your family even when you are away using your mobile phone or tab.

    Motion sensors in the home will notify you the moment suspicious movement is detected inside or around your house. These motion sensors can be attached to a hidden 360 camera, which captures pictures of the spot where the movement occurred. You will also receive an alert if your oven or gas cooker is left on and unattended to.

    Reduces Anxiety

    Have you ever found yourself in that awkward situation where you just can’t remember if you locked the door to your house or not? This can easily trigger anxiety but with a smart home, you will know for certain. From the comfort of your office, you will be able to see if your door is locked or open.

    Relax better

    Smart technology will make it possible for your house to understand your mood and help you rest better. For instance, when you return home from work, your house can sense your presence and play an appropriate song and accompany this with appropriate lighting.

    Your home becomes capable of doing things like welcoming you home and playing your favourite playlist. In a smart home, the nightlight knows when you get out of bed and brightens your path to the bathroom.

    Parenting assist

    Home automation will go as far as switching on the light in your bedroom and send you a notification when your newborn or young children wake up in the middle of the night.

     

    • Samod Biobaku…PrivateProperty.com

  • Don recommends automation as kernel for national development

    A professor of Design, Automation and Energy, Landmark University, Omu Aran, Kwara State, Christian Osueke, is seeking the adoption of automation as the major catalyst toward achieving national growth and development.

    Osueke, of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, spoke yesterday while delivering the institution’s 5th inaugural lecture.

    He spoke on: “Divine Secrets: The Booster of Innovative Design and Automation”.

    The don said such adoption became necessary to reduce production cost and eliminate waste.

    He defined automation as entailing the use of machines and material handling equipment to carry out manufacturing processes with high level of speed, consistency and precision beyond the capacity of human.

    According to him, the continuous application of muscular efforts in form of hand pressure leads to fatigue, loss of concentration and inaccurate production.

    Osueke said the world was in the era of innovative design and automation, soft and hardware usage, geared toward achieving enhanced productivity, adding that Nigeria should not be an exception.

    He said: “Technology determines the level of the nation’s security. Technology eradicates food insecurity. We are in the era of adaptive control, the era of innovative design and automation, the era of soft and hardware usage in enhancing productivity,”

    The don said the country was in need of transformation and economic development, adding: “It is the local content technological revolution that can assist in achieving such desired transformation.”

    He said: “The nation cannot continue to depend on imported technology and food and expect it to be classified as a developed country. Rather, innovative design and automation are the answer to the technological revolution and self-sufficiency through the release of divine secrets.”

    Osueke, who bemoaned the nation’s poor and inadequate energy regime, said such could be a hindrance toward achieving the desired technological breakthrough.

    He noted that the imbalance between rate of energy supply and demand is responsible for the high cost of goods and services experienced across the country.

    “Industries were forced to generate their power in the course of production, while homes are not left out in the energy demand,” Osueke said.

    “Almost all homes now have generators, despite the abundant supply of natural resources, such as coal, hydro, natural gas, crude oil, etc.”

    The don said government’s efforts toward strengthening the private sector as engine of growth through improved efficiency and waste reduction could only be achieved by efficient electricity generation.

    The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Adeniyi Olayanju, reiterated the institution’s commitment to upholding functional capacity as a means of driving solution to societal challenges.

    He said the university prioritised spiritual core values, adding that such had earned it access to the divine secrets that had continued to define its operations and accomplishments.

    “It is a great privilege to have a spiritual father, an exemplary leader and visionary of high repute as our Chancellor, Dr. David Oyedepo, whose support for quality education cannot be overemphasised,” Olayanju said.

    “This is evidenced in his immensurable investment in Landmark University, the conducive environment created for raising not only global leaders but also deserving professors from young academics,” he concluded.

  • Automation: Driving poultry industry

    Automation: Driving poultry industry

    The growth of the poultry industry and increased demand for higher quality, safe and wholesome products are encouraging farms to employ automation technology. This has led to larger farms, such as Olam grains, using technology to run leaner, cleaner and profitable operations, reports DANIEL ESSIET.

    Nigeria appears to have witnessed a boom in poultry farming with thousands of chicken houses sprouting up as consumers’ demand for poultry grows. These days, poultries and chicken cages occupy any available space in urban and rural areas.

    One of those who have grabbed the opportunity is Stephen Oladipupo, an ex-seafarer, who is a small-scale poultry farmer in Ogun State. He has seen how rural poultry farming can provide livelihood and food security.

    Running a farm near Sango Ota in Ogun State has helped him to drive around to notice that  chicken houses dot the hills and flatlands of the agrarian state. Occasionally, he reacts to the stench from most of the  farms, and the dirt they generate, tagging them as part of the challenges small-scale farmers face.

    However, a new wave of automation is taking away such  smells, providing a clean environment. Indeed, poultry farming is set on a course of modernisation to achieve economies of scale as indicated by the pick-up in investments and environmental control houses.

    In an automated farm, the rearing duration of each flock is reduced from 45 to 30 days to mitigate the challenges being faced, thereby saving time and energy.  In addition, chicks get a controlled environment right from diet, air, water, medicines, and are handled by veterinary doctors in a sophisticated manner. The birds gain more weight than those kept in small pens, experts said.

    Indeed, the  changing landscape in the industry is leading to an increase in mega farms. The farms are using automation to address operational challenges of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the industry.

    One of such farms is Olam Integrated Poultry Farm and Feed Mill. The farm is located in Chikpiri Gabas Village, Gwagwada District, Chikun Local Government Area,  Kaduna State. The farm is worth $150 million (about N30 billion).

    Dr.  Vinod Kumar  Mishra, who  supervises the farm, said the farm has the capacity to produce four billion eggs and 100 million kilogrammes of poultry meat for Nigerians yearly – an equivalent of 25 eggs and 0.5 kg of chicken per person.

    Mishra, who is also the Business Head, Animal Protein, Olam Grains, said new technology has a place within poultry units and the organisation is reaping huge advantages using it.

    He explained that the automatic chain feeding for rearing and management of broiler and layer breeder chicks has  ushered a new era into the industry.

    With its automated system, Mishra said the farms can see how mortality develops and compare mortality between flocks, as well as customise tracking of humidity, water consumption, and static pressure.

     

    Bio-security procedures

    The major challenge for farmers, according to him, was  ensuring that the quality of eggs is safe, disease-free and healthy.

    To prevent diseases, he said the company has engaged veterinary practitioners to manage their farms.

    He said they will be responsible for safe, hygienic, nutritious and healthy broilers, and day old eggs

    According to Mishra, the farm has not taken any chances with its chickens and the current scare of bird flu. To him, the farm is taking advantage of the latest technology to protect its birds.

    The company, he said, has built a new breeder facility at a significant distance from the company’s other operations, mainly for biosecurity reasons.

    According to him, the new system has members of staff go through bio-security procedures once and then have safe access to the entire barn system. In addition, the  facility  has  a dry shower and other additional measures to keep foreign organisms  away from the barn-on both the brood/grow side as well as lay barn side.

    Upon arrival at the farm, according to him, staffers and any visitors must enter the dry shower facility, which requires individuals to change out of street clothes into farm clothing and footwear.

    Mishra said although the facility came at a significant cost, the company felt that the investment in the facility was the next step in bio-security for both customers and members of staff.

     Producing modern chicken

    He said the  integrated project included animal feed producing factory, animal treatment and vaccination centre, adding that birds enjoy good standards as they are under high health and welfare automated farms.

    According to him, the farm uses Cobb 500 broiler, a breed of chicken known for its reproductive and broiler performance. Cobb 500’s performance traits, he said, include feed conversion, growth rate, meat yield, and livability, while welfare traits include cardiovascular fitness, skeletal structure, leg strength, feather coverage and gait.

    Farmers, he said, are in a position to access to the best of breeds in terms of quality production.

     

    Empowerment

    Mishra also announced that his organisation is establishing a cluster poultry farm to be owned by 25 to 30 farmers and employ between 250 and 300 people, adding that his organisation would train local farmers on best poultry practices through 15 field veterinarians.

    According to him, the farm will   recruit fresh graduates of veterinary medicine as farm attendants from various universities through their faculties of veterinary medicine, adding that about 100 veterinary doctors are being targetted to undergo training on poultry production.

    Vice President, Corporate and Govrnment Relations, Olam Nigeria, Mr. Ade Adefeko, said the integrated poultry farm and animal feed mill will use about 180,000 tonnes  of corn  and 75,000 tonnes of soya beans.

    According to him, the 50,000 metric tonnes of on-site storage, in addition to a similar capacity of outsourced storage, will support food security and price stabilisation for farmers, adding that training on farming practices will be offered to farmers in collaboration with Federal, state and non-governmental agencies to increase farm yields and crop profitability.

    He said over one million high-quality layers (for eggs) and broilers (for meat) are be produced weekly.

    He said the feed mill will have capacity of 300,000 tonnes yearly to offer competitively-priced and specially formulated feeds for local poultry farmers.

  • Govt, experts bicker over automation

    Govt, experts bicker over automation

    There is disquiet in the airspace segment of aviation over the government’s alleged failure to automate facilities used by Aeronautical Information Services (AIS) personnel.

    This, according to experts, is hindering efforts to promote air safety and meet global requirements.

    The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) set November 15, 2013 as deadline for AIS automation worldwide.

    AIS automation, the global body said, would enhance air safety with pilots sending their aeronautical messages on-line and this would reduce excessive telephone conversation between pilots and air traffic controllers.

    The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) set December 2016 deadline for the completion of the first phase of the AIS automation in some locations.

    The locations  are Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ilorin, Jos, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Owerri and Yola. Others are Zaria, Calabar, Osubi, Minna, Kaduna, Enugu, Katsina, Ibadan, Benin, Akure, Bebi, Bonny, Eket and Eskravos.

    But paucity of funds, investigations revealed, is stalling the automation of this critical air safety component.

    The automation when completed, it is said, would link Nigeria to a centralised aeronautical database, which would be connected to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) AFI Region Centralised Aeronautical Information Data Base (AFI-CAT).

    The AIS automation second phase was set for December 2017.

    Personnel attached to AIS in NAMA said they are unable to perform optimally because of failure of the agency to automate aeronautical equipment.

    According to them, despite AIS relevance to flight and aircraft safety in the airspace, the NAMA management has only paid lip service to their complaints. And efforts to draw the agency’s attention to the sore point in air navigation technology, they said, have not yielded the right results.

    AIS President Babatunde Shittu said continuous discharge of their responsibilities, using manual processes, had made their work very difficult.

    However, a NAMA official said the agency was striving to achieve AIS operations automation before the end of the year.

    The agency, according to the official, who craved  anonymity, has put AIS automation as one of its priority projects when the agency secures funding.

    Shittu listed AIS personnel’s responsibilities to include collation, analysis, processing, formatting and dissemination of information to pilots before they embark on a flight. All these, according to him, are too tedious manually.

    He said if the system were automated, pilots would be able to get information real-time onboard their aircraft. ”We are appealing to the government to speed up the AIS automation process. It has been on for over 10 years. Other countries of the world, even in Africa, like Kenya, South Africa have long gone past the automation of the AIS. What we are talking about here is a software and this software is very important and without the software a safe landing of an aircraft is dangerous,”he said.

    Another expert, Captain Edemeka Umoh, who is a pilot, said the importance of AIS in a safe flight operations cannot be over-emphasised.

    According to him, data provided by the AIS help pilots to make good judgment constituting about 95 per cent of the decisions during flights.

    He said: ”AIS enhances safety, improve situational awareness, better economics, better alternate airports planning, reduces aircraft maintenance and pilot cockpit workload. It makes the job of the industry easier because of the provision of accurate data.”

    Captain Umoh noted that the way forward was for the airspace agency to pursue on-the-job training for AIS personnel.

    An official of NAMA said the funds to actualise the automation of AIS, has been captured in this year’s budget .

    He said when the funds are released automation will be achieved seamlessly.

    In a related development,NAMA  has rounded off a four-week on-the-job Training (OJT) for 48 Aeronautical Information Services (AIS) Cadets of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria.

    The OJT exercise which took place at designated airports in Lagos and Kano centres is part of the critical requirements for the cadets to attain certification by NCAT as full AIS Officers. Meanwhile, the Managing Director of NAMA, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu has congratulated the cadets for their “excellent performance,” during the OJT, saying that the result of the training showed that staff of the agency appreciate efforts of management towards building capacity of workers.”

    In a statement, Akinkuotu maintained that NAMA would continue to give priority to training and training of staff as this would enable them to effectively man the sophisticated Air Traffic Management infrastructure being deployed by the agency.

    AIS unit Head at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos , Mrs. Titilayo Ayinde, said AIS personnel always ensures that aeronautical data and information necessary for safety, regularity or efficiency of air navigation are made available in formats suitable for operational requirements of the air traffic management (ATM) community.

    Professionals requiring such information, she said, include those in flight operations, such as crews, flight planning and simulators.

    She called on the authorities to see AIS as one of the most important pillars of safe and efficient air navigation. “ It is a fundamental element without which modern flying would be all but impossible,”she said.

    An official of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Mr. Felix Anyanwu, urged AIS officers to avail themselves of training organised by ICAO to be abreast of amendments to annexes.

    He said any AIS personnel without automation knowledge is going nowhere.

  • Govt plans automation of insurance premium

    Govt plans automation of insurance premium

    If plans by the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, to deplore the use of technology to monitor vehicles in the country succeeds, motorist will be automatically charged insurance premium for third party motor policy, The Nation has learnt.

    Commissioner for Insurance, National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Mohammed Kari, told a gathering of insurers, brokers and agents in Abuja that the minister plans to constitute a body comprising the Commission, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigeria Customs Service to checkmate and control motorists’ activities.

    According to him, the minister believes in the power of technology and has asked that it be fully deployed to increase premium income in the industry.

    She hopes that more tax will be earned because a proper record of vehicles in the country would be ascertained.

    He said: “The minister has said she is constituting a body which will comprise of NAICOM, Federal Road Safety, Federal Inland Revenue and the Customs. By using the Bank Verification Number (BVN) technology, all vehicles in Nigeria will be registered to an individual.

    “She also believes that the tax money will help people know how to avoid use of 10 cars or whether they pay their taxes. Insurance will automatically be charged on vehicles because it will be identified by a number like the BVN. The motorist will automatically get a notice. Technology will assist us in all of these plans.”

    Kari further stated that NAICOM on its part, beyond providing leadership and a sane regulatory environment for insurance entities to operate, has continually introduced market developmental programmes and initiatives aimed at increasing penetration and assisting insurance institutions enhance their premium revenue generation and, by so doing, increase the industry contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    “In 2009, the Commission launched the  Market Development and Restructuring Initiatives (MDRI) programme. This is a medium term industry development plan designed by the Commission with focus on the enforcement of compulsory insurance products, increase insurance awareness, reduction in incidences of fake insures/insurances and increase agency reform.

    “This initiative was successfully launched in the six geo-political  zones and Abuja. The Commission also followed up with massive awareness campaign, roadshows and seminars again in all the zones of the country. These efforts were geared towards making the insurance institutions richer and better.

    “The Commission has also recently embarked on the sensitization of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government on the compelling need for adequate insurance of their assets. We have equally canvassed the engagement of insurance professionals to handle their insurances to ensure they procure proper insurance policies,” he added.

  • Ogun Land Bureau embraces automation

    Ogun State Government has announced the  computerisation of its registry to develop it into a Geographic Information System (GIS).

    This is to capture, store, analyse, share, manage and display all types of geographical data in the Bureau and other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

    The Special Adviser/Director General, Bureau of Lands and Survey, Mr. Adewale Oshinowo, said the aim of the Ogun Geographic Information System (GIS) and Land Management System  (LAMS) project is to ensure that land administration in the state meets the  global standards.

    “This will help the state government to enforce prudent use of government land and ensure compliance with the various land use policies and building regulations, eradicate double allocation of land, ensure easy processing of title documents and prevent loss of land to other states and the neighbouring Benin Republic,” he said.

    Oshinowo listed the  benefits of the project to include the increased survey accuracy, faster local searches for property titles, online search facilities, digital archive of valuable land documents and easier processing of title documents.

    He pointed out that the project would also assist the government to respond quickly to increased demands for land by investors who intend to establish businesses in the state.

    Oshinowo unveiled the scope of the project, which includes implementing an enterprise process and work flow automation system for the Bureau, the Deeds Registry, a functional revenue administration  to complement the revenue administration run centrally by the state government; the physical and digital archiving of documents in the Bureau of Lands and retrieval of the documents in the entire lands registry installation of a Document Management System for archiving of  documents.

    He added that the implementation of a comprehensive Land Information System and an enterprise GIS system with cadastral and base map for the entire state, the geospatial data analysis for the state and the geospatial enterprise operations of the GIS system; the framework for administration of survey controls in the state and executing the correction of second and third order survey controls in the State, acquisition of processed Satellite Imagery of the whole State, execution of the Geoid-computation and framework of entire State and installation and operation of a Continuous Reference Stations (CORS) Network in the State.

    He said the re-engineering of the Bureau’s business processes and work flow will lead to efficient processing of title documents.

    The Work flow Transaction Information Management System, he said, would prevent fraud and ensure that senior management can see exactly what stage and where each document is in the process (no more missing files), and with the Single User Sign-on for each transaction, all activities have audit trails and are traceable to Individuals.

  • Aviation union flays automation of revenue collection

    Aviation union flays automation of revenue collection

    National President, National Union of Air Transport Employees ( NUATE), Comrade Safiyanu Mohammed has said extortion, failure to meet extant business practices, double taxation, are part of the reasons the union is opposed to the proposed implementation of automation in revenue collection for aviation agencies.

    The Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah, gave the directive on automation revenue collection last month.

    However, the NUATE boss urged the minister against any attempt to implement the new revenue collection regime, which he argued is worse than previous attempts to contract revenue collection to private firms, including the Automated Operations Management System ( AOMS), handled by Maevis Limited.

    He said the union took the position following the failure of government to convince its leadership on the rationale for contracting revenue automation and collection to outsiders in the industry, despite the in house capacity in the agencies.

    The affected agencies are the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN), Nigeria Airspace Management Agency ( NAMA), Nigeria College of Aviation Technology ( NCAT) and the Accident Investigation Bureau ( AIB), which has since been isolated due to protest.

    Safiyanu, said thet union is not entirely opposed to every component of revenue automation in the agencies, if it is meant to block areas of revenue leakages .

    He said : ’’The blocking of this leakages should not result in other leakages elsewhere whereby some people will be raking the revenues into their pockets.’’

    He cited the example of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) , which is already collecting revenue in the form of over-flyers paid into the bank on behalf of Nigeria Airspace Management Agency ( NAMA), which attracts 1.55 per cent .