A strategic policy and national development research organisation says Nigeria could tap into the projected $650 billion global expansion of artificial intelligence by strategically developing its coal reserves.

The organisation, Galadiman Ruwa Centre for Strategic Leadership and Communication, raised concerns about the urgent need for policy action to capture energy-tech opportunities.

It said Nigeria possesses one of the most strategic assets in the evolving artificial intelligence economy, urging the government to urgently unlock coal resources to maximise industrial value.

In an open memo to President Bola Tinubu, the centre described Nigeria as a “slumbering golden giant” in global energy supply chains.

Speaking on the memo on Monday in Zaria, Ja’afaru Sa’ad, the centre’s founder, said the global competition for artificial intelligence dominance had become an energy contest.

He noted that major technology companies seek massive, stable electricity supplies for next-generation data centres and computing systems.

Mr Sa’ad cited growing global concerns among technology leaders about sustaining energy for artificial intelligence infrastructure, citing concerns raised by Google’s Sundar Pichai and Meta’s multibillion-dollar artificial intelligence investment plans.

The organisation estimated global technology firms could spend about $650 billion on artificial intelligence expansion in 2026 alone, exceeding the annual national budgets of several developing economies combined worldwide today.

He said Nigeria holds a strategic advantage with nearly five billion metric tonnes of coal reserves, describing the resources as a potential pillar for global energy security in the artificial intelligence era globally.

Mr Sa’ad raised concern that continued underutilisation of coal resources could cost Nigeria trillions of dollars in lost industrialisation, manufacturing, and energy value chain opportunities across domestic and export markets over time.

He added that the memo also proposed establishing the Nigerian Green Energy and Chemicals Corporation to transform coal and related resources into high-value energy and industrial products, supporting long-term national energy security and industrial competitiveness goals.

Mr Sa’ad therefore urged the government to reduce reliance on debt-driven economic growth and to adopt sovereign economic engineering, with a special focus on unlocking dormant industrial assets and strengthening national energy security frameworks nationwide.

“The global economy is undergoing a structural shift driven by energy and artificial intelligence. Nigeria must act quickly or risk missing defining industrial transformation opportunities of the century ahead,’’ Mr Sa’ad stated.

(NAN)