Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Nigeria’s former Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, has called on the Federal Government to prioritize funding for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive innovation within the healthcare sector of the country.
Speaking on Thursday at the 26th National Conference of the Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria (IMAN) in Kaduna, Pantami emphasized that AI has become indispensable in modern medicine. He warned that Nigeria risks falling behind global trends if it fails to invest heavily in emerging technologies and infrastructure.
Artificial intelligence is unavoidable, unstoppable, and inevitable. It becomes necessary for us as Muslims to look into technology critically and see how it will help our profession. We need to prioritise investment in AI infrastructure to support our healthcare system – Professor Isa Pantami
The conference, themed “Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Benefits, Ethical Boundaries and Islamic Perspective,” gave the platform for the former minister to outline the transformative power of AI.
Pantami made reference to the $40 billion AI investment fund of Saudi Arabia, stressing that this single fund is larger than the national budget of Nigeria. He used this comparison to press for a paradigm shift in how Nigeria approaches funding for technology.
He outlined the tangible benefits of AI integration, including enhanced disease detection, personalized treatment plans, and the capability for virtual surgeries, giving reference to the successful remote procedures conducted between continents.
Pantami cautioned that the integration of AI must be ethical and responsible, urging Muslim medical professionals to critically evaluate how technology aligns with their professional and religious values.
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