Nigeria Unveils GovGuide AI Chatbot in Meta Partnership to Expand Digital Access to Public Services

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Nigeria has officially launched GovGuide Nigeria, a fully operational AI-powered chatbot designed to simplify and expand public access to government services across the country. The initiative, led by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy in partnership with Meta, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), and Nigerian developer firm Publica AI, was announced during Meta’s Economic Impact Report launch event in Nigeria.

The rollout represents a major step in the country’s digital governance agenda, introducing a multilingual chatbot that provides citizens with simplified, real-time access to information on government services through both voice and text interactions.

GovGuide Nigeria is accessible via the web and supports major Nigerian languages including English, Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba, with the aim of broadening access for rural populations and low-literacy users who often face barriers in navigating traditional government information channels.

The platform is built on Meta’s open-source artificial intelligence models, including Llama, highlighting the growing role of open AI systems in public-sector innovation across Africa.

Speaking at the launch, the Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, said the initiative reflects the government’s commitment to using artificial intelligence to improve public service delivery and citizen engagement.

“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. By deploying AI-powered tools in local languages and on platforms people already use daily, we are improving access to public services and also strengthening transparency, trust, and citizen engagement. 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 said.

Meta’s Head of Public Policy, Sade Dada, described the project as a practical example of how open-source AI can drive economic growth and improve public access to essential services.

“Meta’s open-source AI is critical to economic growth and productivity — and GovGuide Nigeria, launched in partnership with the Federal Ministry, is a clear example of what this looks like in practice. Built by Publica AI on our open-source 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. This is exactly how open-source AI creates lasting value: enabling homegrown innovation, supporting local talent, and putting powerful tools to work in service of the people who need them most,” she said.

According to Publica AI Chief Executive Officer Ignatius Willie, the platform goes beyond digitising government services by rethinking how citizens interact with public institutions.

“Today is not just a product launch. It is a step towards democratising how Nigerians engage with their government. 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. Built in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy and NCAIR, powered by Meta’s open-source models, and shaped by hundreds of Nigerian language contributors, GovGuide Nigeria is proof that the next generation of public infrastructure for Africa can, and should, be built in Africa, in our own languages,” he said.

The launch underscores a broader shift toward AI-enabled public infrastructure in Nigeria, positioning conversational technology as a tool for improving transparency, accessibility, and citizen participation in governance. It also highlights the increasing collaboration between government institutions, global technology firms, and local innovators in shaping the country’s digital future.

As adoption expands, GovGuide Nigeria is expected to play a growing role in bridging information gaps and making government services more accessible across linguistic and geographic divides, reinforcing Nigeria’s ongoing push toward a more inclusive digital economy.