AI to redefine HR practice in Nigerian universities- Stakeholders

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been identified as a tool capable of shaping the future of Human Resource (HR) practice in Nigerian universities.

This was unanimously stated by stakeholders in the higher education sector at a capacity-building workshop supported by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) in Ibadan on Thursday.

The immediate past Registrar of the University of Ibadan (UI), Mrs Olubunmi Faluyi, stated that the initiative was developed to equip human resource practitioners for global competitiveness.

This, she said, was important in an era where AI is becoming central to people management.

Faluyi said while many administrators had expressed fear that technology could displace them, AI was designed to enhance service delivery.

“After leaving office, I came across the ACU HR in Higher Education Community Grant call for proposals.

“With some colleagues, we submitted an entry, though we never expected to win because there were over 2,400 applications.

“By God’s grace, we eventually got the grant.

“The focus is on creating awareness about AI in HR because many of our colleagues are not familiar with it.

“This is about developing a future-ready mindset for HR practitioners within the Nigerian university system,” she said.

The past registrar explained that the first phase of the project involved identifying skills gaps and exposing participants to emerging HR technologies.

“A follow-up survey and webinar will be conducted to consolidate learning.

“Our aim is simple: we don’t want our universities to remain local.

“We must align with global standards and stay relevant in the evolving workplace,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Founder of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Nigeria (RAIN), Dr Olusola Ayoola, said the realities of work had moved beyond traditional HR functions such as payroll, compliance and record-keeping.

He noted that AI now drives recruitment, performance monitoring, employee engagement and workforce planning.

“AI is not about replacing people but about augmentation.

“It can help in recruitment by screening thousands of applications efficiently, assist in onboarding through personalised support, improve performance monitoring, and even predict employee attrition.

“AI tools also enhance communication, compliance management, workplace safety and wellbeing monitoring.

“Research shows that adopting AI in HR can improve efficiency by up to 40 per cent,” Ayoola said.

He, however, stressed the importance of ethical guardrails in deploying AI, warning that transparency, fairness, privacy and human oversight must remain central.

Supreme news reports the duo agreed that universities must invest in digital literacy, continuous training and best global practices if their HR professionals are to remain competitive in a technology-driven future.