The former National President of the Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Chief John Udeagbala, stressed the need for Nigeria to rapidly adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital technologies to strengthen trade and drive sustainable industrial development.
Chief Udeagbala who made the remark on Thursday in Aba while delivering the 22nd Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic Pre-Convocation Lecture, titled “Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies for Trade and Sustainable Industrial Development in Nigeria”,said the theme reflects urgent national economic needs.
The former National President of NACCIMA, said that digital capacity is now the core driver of modern commerce, manufacturing and global competitiveness.
“This is not theory because digital technology is the currency of the future economy and any nation that fails to embrace AI will be left behind”, he said.
Chief Udeagbala noted that Industry 4.0 tools such as AI, automation, the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing, has become global standards for industrial productivity adding that “Digitalisation is no longer optional, it has become the infrastructure of modern trade.
He recalled championing digital-economy advocacy during his NACCIMA tenure, including hosting a major International Conference on digital transformation in 2023 and noted that conference proved a vibrant digital economy is essential for job creation and national growth.
The former NACCIMA president also said that the South-East Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture has been pushing for digital hubs across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones to enable young people innovate and build technology-driven enterprises.
“The vision is simple: create hubs where Nigerian youths can build solutions, start-ups and digital products,” he said.
Chief Udeagbala cited examples of Nigerians leading in digital innovation such as InterSwitch’s Mitchell Elegbe, Flutterwave’s Olugbenga Agboola and Paystack’s Shola Akinlade, said their achievements serve as motivation.
“These success stories show what is possible and I mention them to challenge you”, he told the graduands.
He further referenced local talent, including Tochukwu Chukwueke, recently appointed Vice-Chairman of the Abia Digital Economy Advisory Committee.
Chief Udeagbala said established industries such as Dangote Cement and Nigerian Breweries were already deploying AI for supply-chain efficiency and quality control.
“Those Dangote trucks you see nationwide are monitored by AI in real-time, this is what modern industry looks like,” he said.
He urged graduands to acquire tech-related skills in order to bridge Nigeria’s growing digital skills gap and contribute to transforming Small and Medium-Scale Enterprise (SMEs).
“Aba is a manufacturing laboratory. You must help SMEs modernise with digital tools,” he said.
Chief Udeagbala raised alarm on the widening digital skills crisis citing a recent study conducted among 100 NYSC members which showed that only 19 of them had digital skill such as the basic MS Excel, describing it as “a crisis”.
He described Nigeria’s Educational Curriculum as outdated and insufficient for today’s labour demands and encouraged Students to enrol in national digital-capacity programmes, including the Federal Government’s 3MTT digital talent initiative.
He also commended the Polytechnic’s Management for strengthening technical training and improving industry partnerships.
“In less than two years, the rector has repositioned this institution impressively”, he said.
He announced a new collaboration between his organisation and the Polytechnic aimed at enhancing students’ practical industrial exposure, adding that through the partnership, Students can gain hands-on technical experience.
Udeagbala urged graduands to embrace innovation rather than rely on traditional job seeking charged them to pursue lifelong learning and become catalysts for industrial transformation.
“Do not wait for the industry to change, be the catalyst. Do not merely look for employment, but seek to innovate. Your diploma is the foundation, while your digital skills are the structure you must build”, he added.
Earlier, the Rector of the Polytechnic, Dr Christopher Okoro, described the annual pre-convocation lecture as an opportunity for students and staff to learn from industry leaders.
He said the lecture, delivered by an accomplished businessman, would provide practical knowledge essential for modern entrepreneurship, trade and sustainable industrial growth.
Okoro said the Polytechnic’s emphasis on technology aligns with the Abia State Government’s agenda for business-driven innovation.
He noted that the institution had held only three convocations in 14 years, two of them under the present administration and described this year’s event as historic for being the first back-to-back convocation.
