The Federal Government has partnered with Meta to launch GovGuide Nigeria, a multilingual artificial intelligence-powered chatbot aimed at improving citizens’ access to government services and public information.
Gatekeepers News reports that the platform was unveiled on Thursday during the presentation of Meta’s Economic Impact Report in Nigeria. The initiative is a collaboration involving the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), and local technology company, Publica AI.
The government described the initiative as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s digital governance efforts, designed to make public services more accessible, transparent and user-friendly.
GovGuide Nigeria functions as both a voice and text assistant, enabling users to access government-related information through web platforms in English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.
Speaking during the unveiling, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, said the project demonstrates the government’s commitment to using technology to strengthen service delivery and citizen engagement.
According to him, deploying AI-powered tools in local languages would help bridge communication gaps and improve access to public services, particularly for underserved communities.
“The GovGuide initiative reflects our commitment to leveraging artificial intelligence to make government services and information more accessible and responsive to the needs of Nigerians,” he said.
Tijani added that integrating AI into platforms already familiar to citizens would help promote transparency and strengthen trust in public institutions.
“As Nigeria continues to grow its digital economy, partnerships like this demonstrate how innovation can improve productivity, unlock opportunities and bring government closer to the people,” he stated.
Head of Public Policy at Meta, Sade Dada, described the initiative as a practical example of how open-source artificial intelligence can drive economic growth and social development across Africa.
She explained that GovGuide Nigeria was developed by Nigerian technology company Publica AI using Meta’s open-source AI models.
“GovGuide Nigeria is a voice and text AI assistant in English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba that gives every Nigerian, including rural and low-literacy users, easier access to information on government services,” she said.
Dada noted that the project highlights the importance of local innovation and talent in building technology solutions tailored to African realities.
Chief Executive Officer of Publica AI, Ignatius Willie, said the platform was created to transform how Nigerians interact with public institutions.
“With GovGuide Nigeria, we are not simply digitising access to public services; we are making them conversational, multilingual and available on the channels Nigerians already use every day,” he said.
Willie added that the platform was built with contributions from hundreds of Nigerian language experts and developers, showcasing the growing potential for Africa-driven digital infrastructure.
