The Gates Foundation has challenged Nigerian innovators to channel artificial intelligence toward addressing pressing development problems, insisting that the value of the technology lies not in its sophistication but in its ability to improve lives and accelerate national development. The call was made at the launch of the Scaling AI for Development (SAID) Challenge under the Nigeria AI Scaling Hub (NAISH), a collaborative initiative involving the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, the Gates Foundation, and Lagos Business School. The initiative seeks to move Nigeria’s AI ecosystem beyond experimentation and isolated pilot projects to large-scale deployment by linking proven innovations with government institutions and public-sector agencies. Speaking at the launch, Country Director of the Gates Foundation Nigeria Country Office, Uche Amaonwu, urged innovators to become creators of locally relevant solutions rather than mere consumers of technologies developed elsewhere. The SAID Challenge focuses on scaling tested AI solutions in priority sectors including healthcare, agriculture, education, financial services and public administration. Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, said artificial intelligence has become central to the future competitiveness and economic development of nations and that Nigeria cannot afford to lag behind.