Google brings Generative AI to Nigeria

Google has rolled out its Search Generative Experience (SGE) in the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region as an opt-in experiment in Search Labs, powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI-powered) experience and is available in English.

With new breakthroughs in generative AI, Google is reimagining what a search engine can do and is bringing these powerful new capabilities to Search in a bold and responsible way.

This new technology can unlock entirely new types of questions that Search could not previously answer, and transforms the way information is organised in Search to help people sort through and make sense of what’s out there.

Google General Manager for Search in Africa, Wambui Kinya, while announcing the initiative at a webinar organised by Google, said the initiative, which is in its experimental stage, would be launched after users and advertisers have had a good feel of it and are satisfied.

“With new generative AI capabilities in Search, we’re now taking more of the work out of searching. We’re imagining a supercharged Search that does the heavy lifting for you so you’ll be able to understand a topic faster, uncover new viewpoints and insights, and get things done more easily. This Search Generative Experience is the first step we’re taking in this journey, and part of our vision to make Search radically more helpful. We’re excited to bring this to the SSA region, and look forward to receiving feedback and iterating on the experience alongside our users over the next few months,” Kinya said.

With SGE’s generative AI capabilities in Search, people will see an AI-powered overview of key information to consider, with links to dig deeper. For anyone who has ever been overwhelmed by the amount of information online, this will help find answers more quickly.

For instance, with a question like “Does Honey ever Spoil?” Normally, you might break this question down into smaller ones, sort through the vast amount of information available, and then start to piece things together yourself. With generative AI, Search can do some of that heavy lifting. 

By Emma Okonj, This Day

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President Tinubu signs budget including funds for yacht, bulletproof cars

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has signed into law a $2.8 billion supplementary budget that includes funding for new bulletproof cars for himself and his wife, despite widespread criticism from citizens facing a cost-of-living crisis.

The budget, which was approved by lawmakers on Nov. 2, also includes allocations for a presidential yacht, official vehicles for the first lady's office, and renovations to the president's residential quarters.

The spending plan was initially proposed by Tinubu as a means to address "urgent issues" such as defence and security.

The presidency defended the provision for the yacht, describing it as an operational naval boat with specialised security gadgets.

However, specific allocations for such areas have been overshadowed by the allocation of funds for items seen as luxuries items and on renovations for the president's residential quarters.

Opponents of the budget have argued that the spending is unnecessary and insensitive to the plight of ordinary Nigerians, who are struggling to make ends meet amid rising inflation and economic hardship.

Africa's most populous nation is grappling with double-digit inflation, foreign currency shortages, a weakening naira, widespread insecurity and crude oil theft.

Tinubu, who was sworn into office in May, has been under pressure from unions to offer relief to households and workers. He has asked Nigerians to be patient with reforms.

By Felix Onuah, Reuters

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Suspected Boko Haram kills 15 farmers in northeast Nigeria

At least 15 rice farmers were killed and several others feared abducted in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state after suspected Boko Haram insurgents attacked three villages, a local farmers' leader said on Monday.

The attack occurred in the villages of Koshebe, Karkut, and Bulabulin in the Mafa local government area in the state, about 15 kilometres from the capital Maiduguri, Mohammed Haruna, secretary of the Zabarmari Rice Farmers Association, told Reuters.

The Borno police spokesperson did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment on the attack, which happened on Sunday.

Haruna said the Islamists stormed the villages on motorcycles and attacked the farmers who were harvesting crops from their rice fields.

"They did not use guns to kill them, instead they used cutlasses and knives to stab them to death, while others were beheaded," Haruna said.

He said 15 farmers were confirmed killed in the attack, adding that some managed to escape. The number of those missing is still unknown.

The attack is the latest in a series of assaults by Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria. The group has been waging a 14-year insurgency in the region aimed at establishing an Islamic caliphate there.

At least 40 people were killed in the northeastern Yobe state last week, the first major Boko Haram attack in the state in 18 months.

Last week, Nigerian lawmakers approved a supplementary budget that includes provisions for defence and security.

President Bola Tinubu, preoccupied with fixing the economy, has yet to outline how he plans to tackle insurgency in the north and widespread insecurity across the country.

By Ahmed Kingimi, Reuters

Peter Obi slams court ruling confirming Tinubu election win

Nigeria's opposition Labour Party leader Peter Obi on Monday criticised the Supreme Court's ruling affirming President Bola Tinubu's victory in February's elections and vowed to continue to fight for a "New Nigeria".

The country's top court on Oct. 26 rejected an attempt to overturn the election result by the main opposition leader Atiku Abubakar and Obi, who came second and third in the vote, slamming the door on any legal challenge against Tinubu, who says he won fairly.

The Supreme Court judgment followed a pattern seen in previous presidential elections that have been challenged in court. None of the attempts to overturn results through the courts has been successful.

Speaking for the first time since the ruling, Obi, a former two-term governor who campaigned as an outsider, told reporters the judgment was a disappointment and contradicted overwhelming evidence of election rigging, false claims of technical glitches, and other irregularities.

He said the ruling was a "total breach of the confidence the Nigerian people have in our judiciary" and a "show of unreasonable force against the very Nigerian people from whom the power of the Constitution derives".

Despite the setback, Obi vowed to remain in the opposition and continue fighting for a "New Nigeria", pledging to remain committed to good governance to ensure the country was led away from what he called its current waste and consumption orientation to a production-driven economy.

"We will offer the checks and balances required in a functional democracy and vie robustly in forthcoming elections to elect those who share our vision of a new Nigeria," Obi said.

Obi's supporters, known as the "Obidients", have been vocal in their criticism of the Supreme Court ruling. They have accused the court of being biased and of protecting the interests of the ruling party.

Obi's rejection of the Supreme Court ruling is likely to resonate with his supporters, mostly young Nigerians who were attracted by his message of hope and change and see him as a break from the old guard.

By Camillus Eboh, Reuters

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