The Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, has called for the increased deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies in Nigeria’s road infrastructure management to improve maintenance, reduce costs and extend the lifespan of critical assets.
Momoh made the call on Monday while speaking at a training programme on “AI Applications for Road Management”, organised by the Nigerian Institution of Highway and Transportation Engineers (NIHTE) in partnership with the International Road Federation (IRF) in Abuja.
The minister said roads remained vital to national development, connecting communities to markets, schools, healthcare facilities and agricultural value chains, while stimulating investment and strengthening social and economic integration.
He said the quality, safety and sustainability of the nation’s road network had a direct impact on productivity and the quality of life of Nigerians.
Momoh noted that the government was investing in roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure across the various regions, stressing that greater attention must also be given to monitoring and maintaining existing assets.
According to him, AI provides enormous opportunities for transforming the way roads and other infrastructure are managed.
He said AI-powered systems could assist engineers and road managers in detecting defects, predicting deterioration, monitoring the performance of roads and bridges, prioritising maintenance interventions and deploying limited resources where they would have the greatest impact.
The minister said the application of AI was consistent with the Federal Government’s efforts to modernise public infrastructure and deploy innovation and technology to improve governance, economic competitiveness and sustainable development.
He, however, stressed that technology would only be as effective as the professionals responsible for deploying it.
“This is why this kind of workshop is very important, so that practitioners can continually update themselves on modern realities, because the world is rapidly growing in terms of innovation and technology,” Momoh said.
He urged engineers to continuously acquire new knowledge and skills to operate effectively in an increasingly digital infrastructure environment.
Momoh challenged participants to approach the training not merely as an academic exercise but as an opportunity to develop practical solutions that could be deployed within Nigeria’s road infrastructure ecosystem.
He also called on NIHTE to deepen its collaboration with the Ministry of Regional Development and the various regional development commissions in areas including capacity building, infrastructure asset management, data systems and the application of emerging technologies.
The minister urged the organisers to replicate the training in other ministries, agencies and development commissions so that professionals who were unable to attend the Abuja programme could also benefit.
He further called for greater participation by contractors and companies involved in road construction and maintenance, stressing that they needed to keep pace with rapid technological developments, particularly AI.
Earlier, Acting National Chairman of NIHTE, Engr. Dr. Bola Mudasiru, said the training was designed to expose Nigerian engineers to advanced technologies and global best practices in road management.
Mudasiru said Nigeria’s road network, estimated at more than 200,000 kilometres, faced serious challenges including maintenance backlogs, traffic congestion, road safety concerns, flooding and erosion.
He said traditional methods of road management were increasingly inadequate to address the complexities, adding that AI could provide solutions through predictive maintenance, traffic optimisation, asset management, safety enhancement and climate resilience.
The President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr. Ali Alimasuya Rabiu, also called for greater use of indigenous engineering expertise in the planning, design, construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of Nigeria’s roads.
Rabiu said Nigerian engineers had demonstrated their competence on major projects both within and outside the country and should be given greater opportunities to contribute to national infrastructure development.
The President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Engr. Prof. Sadiq Zubair Abubakar, said engineers must become AI-competent to remain relevant in the evolving infrastructure sector.
He said AI could help the profession move from reactive and remedial interventions to proactive and predictive maintenance.
Abubakar, however, cautioned engineers against blindly relying on AI, stressing that professional ethics, accountability, human intelligence and public interest must remain central to engineering practice.
Representing the National Coordinator of the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), Engr. Aminu Bodinga Mohammed, Engr. Bukar Gana said the organisation was already leveraging digital technology in rural road management.
He disclosed that RAAMP, in partnership with the World Bank and French Development Agency, had digitised more than 100,000 kilometres of rural roads through the Nigeria Rural Infrastructure Management System.
He said the system contained detailed information on road conditions, pavement types, bridges and other infrastructure characteristics, while supporting maintenance planning and prioritisation.
The Immediate Past National Chairman of NIHTE, Engr. Hassan Saidu, said the institution’s partnership with IRF had over the years provided Nigerian engineers with access to international expertise and specialised training.
He said the collaboration had produced annual international workshops covering road safety, performance-based contracts, maintenance and asset management.
In his vote of thanks, Chairman of the Planning Committee, Engr. Isa Emoabino, said the programme would help bridge knowledge gaps among Nigerian professionals and contribute to safer and more sustainable infrastructure development.
He urged participants to actively engage with the trainers, ask questions and seek practical clarification on the application of AI to road engineering and field operations.
