Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept, it is actively shaping how economies grow, how services are delivered, and how decisions are made. In his newly released book, Applying AI and Machine Learning to Solve Nigeria’s Unique Challenges, software engineer Tobi Yusuf introduces a grounded, context-aware framework for building intelligent systems that speak directly to Nigeria’s structural, infrastructural, and institutional realities.
The book offers a step-by-step guide for applying AI and machine learning across key sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, financial services, education, and transportation. It focuses on usability, local constraints, and low-resource environments, making it especially relevant for teams working in fragmented, fast-moving, or underserved areas. Rather than replicating global models that often fail to translate, his approach emphasizes adaptability, cost-efficiency, and alignment with local workflows.
As digital transformation becomes a priority across public and private sectors, Applying AI and Machine Learning arrives as a timely resource for technologists, policymakers, and operators alike. The book presents an implementation-oriented model for deploying intelligent systems that not only process data but also understand context, accounting for informal systems, missing infrastructure, limited connectivity, and the complexities of behavior-driven environments.
The framework has caught the attention of data science communities, digital policy units, and civic tech hubs across Nigeria. Several development agencies are reviewing its guidance for integration into national AI roadmaps and subnational digital strategies. In addition, engineering bootcamps and tech fellowships have begun referencing the text in training programs focused on localizing machine learning applications for social impact.
His expertise in systems design and real-world software development grounds the book in practical execution. The chapters are built around modular case studies and prototype-ready strategies, from building fraud detection models for underbanked users, to optimizing crop supply chains with AI predictions, to designing education tech that learns from user patterns in rural settings. Each example is anchored in everyday realities, avoiding overengineered solutions in favor of what works on the ground.
Applying AI and Machine Learning to Solve Nigeria’s Unique Challenges is already influencing conversations around AI ethics, data localization, and algorithmic transparency in West Africa. Its clarity, precision, and focus on contextual intelligence make it more than just a technical guide, it’s a tool for systems change, grounded in the belief that Nigeria’s biggest problems deserve solutions built for its unique environment.
By centering AI in the local, the feasible, and the urgent, his contribution helps shift the narrative: Africa doesn’t just need access to cutting-edge technologies, it needs to shape them. This book is a practical step in that direction.
