With AI adoption, funding, govt can create employment, boost foreign income, local economy ― Bamigboye

In this interview with SEGUN KASALI, the Chief Executive of Readie, David Bamigboye, speaks about Artificial Intelligence and its readiness, impacts, expectations and youth accessibility. What should people expect from Readie? With my co-founder, Taiwo Shada, our vision is to make Readie a global company because what we’ve built applies to every country in the world. The platform is designed to help people become AI-ready. Not just to use AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini, but to understand, adapt, and apply them effectively in their careers. We developed a unique assessment model that measures your level of AI readiness using specific pillars and metrics. It evaluates how well you understand, use and ethically apply AI. The problem today isn’t awareness but it is adoption because everyone has heard of AI. People are still cautious. To me, AI is like electricity. When it first appeared, it changed everything. The question isn’t whether the world is ready for it, but whether the world can catch up to it. And AI isn’t the only transformative technology. Quantum computing, for example, will change the world again. That’s why our mission is to make AI adoption mainstream, especially across Africa, so that individuals and organisations can thrive in this new era. Imagine having an AI platform on your phone that helps you perform your job faster and smarter. People already use AI to write, create and produce, but ethical use and data transparency remain crucial. At Readie, we begin by assessing your AI readiness. Then, based on your results, we provide personalised growth recommendations on courses to take, skills to develop and experiences to gain. The platform adapts to your profession, country and industry. For instance, a journalist in Nigeria will receive different insights than the journalist in the UK. Beyond that, Readie also helps with job applications as it improves your CV, matches you intelligently to roles and helps you see how well you fit. Ultimately, Readie doesn’t just teach AI, it helps you become employable, adaptable, and future-proof. Do you agree that AI will take people’s jobs, as many people believe? That’s a common fear, but it’s often misunderstood. I spoke with a legal expert recently about AI’s impact on the law profession. Administrative tasks like paralegal work will certainly be automated, but representing clients in court cannot be replaced by AI. Research suggests that 85 per cent of jobs will be impacted by AI, but not eliminated. The key word is impact. It’s similar to the shift from manual farming to mechanised agriculture. Technology didn’t remove farmers; it made them more efficient. Yes, clerical and administrative jobs will change. But those who upskill and embrace AI will find new opportunities. The goal is to adapt, not resist. What are you working to improve in Readie? Our main goal is to help individuals, organisations, and governments become AI-ready. So far, we’ve focused on individuals by assessing and training them. The next step is to extend this to businesses and governments. Over the next two years, we plan to release tools that will help entire institutions assess and improve their AI readiness. For now, our priority is getting more young people, especially university students, onto the platform. If we prepare them now, we’re building the workforce of the future. Why focus so strongly on young people? Because they are the future workforce. Africa has the largest youth population in the world. If we equip them with AI skills, Africa can become the global workforce of the AI era. AI is here to stay, and the countries that mainstream it will lead tomorrow’s world. Look at Google, for instance, they recently released Gemini to students in Nigeria for free. That’s a strategic move to capture the young market. Governments can do the same. By giving students access to AI training, they’ll not only reduce unemployment but also position their citizens for global remote work. Imagine a company in California hiring AI engineers from Nigeria because they’re skilled and ready. That creates foreign income, new opportunities and boosts the local economy. What would you say directly to governments? Invest in AI readiness. Set aside funding, probably a million dollars, to train and upskill young people so they’re at par with their peers globally. Governments can also create national digital work hubs that are similar to Upwork or Fiverr, where trained youths can register as AI-skilled professionals. These platforms can then be marketed globally. India did this successfully years ago with tech outsourcing. I remember when I worked in banking; we hired Indian IT professionals, many of whom were fresh graduates, because their government had invested in building that talent pipeline. Nigeria and other African nations can do the same. Our young people are among the smartest in the world; they just need opportunities. With one year of structured AI training, covering general, technical, and specialised skills, they could compete globally and earn foreign income. That also means governments can generate tax revenue from a thriving digital workforce rather than relying on diaspora taxation. At Readie, we’re ready to help design and implement these programmes from training and assessment to building the platforms that connect local talent to global demand. But transformation starts with understanding. Before you can change anything, be it individuals, businesses or governments, you must first identify the gap. That’s what Readie does best.