TECHNOLOGY GOVERNANCE AND YOUTH SELF-RELIANCE THROUGH ROBOTICS INNOVATION IN KOGI STATE, NORTH-CENTRAL NIGERIA
Abubakar Isah , Zekeri Sunday and Titus Noel Yabayanze
Volume 14 Issue 2
Abstract
This study examines how technology governance shapes the capacity of robotics innovation to advance youth self-reliance in Kogi State, North-Central Nigeria. Despite considerable public and institutional expenditure on robotics education, artificial intelligence infrastructure, and technology incubation schemes, the state has yet to convert trained young people into sustainable robotics-based livelihoods and ventures. Using a qualitative case-study approach grounded in secondary policy documents, institutional reports, and media coverage, the study argues that this shortfall is fundamentally a governance problem: robotics initiatives are announced and funded, but they are weakly coordinated, insufficiently accountable for outcomes, and poorly supported by enabling infrastructure, finance, and markets. Five governance gaps are identified: infrastructure governance; skills and curriculum governance; industry–academia coordination; financing and market governance; and ecosystem coordination and accountability. The study concludes by proposing a multi-pronged governance framework encompassing a multi-stakeholder coordinating mechanism, foundational infrastructure upgrades, curriculum reform, dedicated finance and incubation support, locally relevant robotics applications, and outcome-based monitoring. The analysis offers transferable insights for technology governance across sub-Saharan Africa, where similar mismatches between ambition and implementation are common. Keywords: Technology Governance, Robotics Innovation, Youth Self-Reliance, Entrepreneurship Education, Institutional Coordination
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