India–AI Impact Summit 2026 to deepen Nigeria–India collaboration – Envoy

 India will host the India–AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi from Feb. 19 to Feb. 20, marking the first global artificial intelligence summit to be held in the Global South, the Indian High Commission has said.

In a statement issued in Abuja, Abhishek Singh, High Commissioner of India to Nigeria and Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, said the summit would reshape global AI discourse with strong implications for Nigeria and Africa.

Singh said the summit would amplify Global South voices in AI governance while addressing key concerns such as data sovereignty, employment disruption and the widening digital divide affecting developing economies.

He noted that the summit was announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, describing it as a pivotal shift in how developing nations influence global technology policy.

According to him, the summit’s core theme, Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya—welfare for all, happiness for all—reflects shared aspirations between India, Nigeria and other African countries.

The envoy said the summit was anchored on three guiding pillars—the People, Planet and Progress Sutras—designed to promote inclusive, sustainable and growth-oriented deployment of artificial intelligence.

He explained that the People Sutra prioritises human dignity, cultural diversity and inclusion, while the Planet Sutra focuses on environmentally responsible AI development, particularly for climate-vulnerable regions.

Singh added that the Progress Sutra seeks to accelerate economic growth and social good through democratised AI access, job creation and innovation, translating into seven cooperation areas known as Chakras.

He said the summit would promote the idea of AI as a shared development enabler through the IndiaAI Mission, which aims to provide large-scale public AI infrastructure accessible to partner countries.

According to him, this approach mirrors India’s earlier sharing of digital public goods, offering Nigerian developers, start-ups and public institutions opportunities to build AI solutions at lower cost.

The statement said the summit would also showcase practical AI applications in agriculture, healthcare, education, energy and climate resilience, aligning with Nigeria’s development and digital transformation priorities.

Singh said unlike traditional conferences, the summit was designed as an action-oriented platform, expected to deliver concrete outcomes including a Leaders’ Declaration and multilateral cooperation frameworks.

He urged strong Nigerian participation from government, private sector and academia, citing opportunities for joint research, open-source tools, skills development and start-up partnerships.

The envoy said the summit would help ensure artificial intelligence becomes a tool for inclusive development rather than a driver of global inequality, benefiting Nigeria, Africa and the wider Global South.