The Federal Government has partnered with Meta to introduce GovGuide Nigeria, an artificial intelligence-driven chatbot aimed at simplifying Nigerians’ access to government services in several local languages.
The initiative was announced on Thursday in a statement by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy following the unveiling of Meta’s Economic Impact Report in Nigeria.
According to the ministry, GovGuide Nigeria is a fully functional multilingual voice and text chatbot developed through collaboration between Meta, the ministry, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, and local tech firm Publica AI.
The platform is designed to offer “seamless access to comprehensive information on all government services” through a web-based interface, with support for English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.
The ministry said the project demonstrates the potential of open-source artificial intelligence in driving socio-economic development across Africa. It also showcases the application of Meta’s open-source AI models, including Llama, in public service delivery.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, said the initiative aligns with government efforts to enhance access to public services through technology.
He stated, “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.”
He added that deploying AI tools in local languages and on widely used platforms would improve access to services while strengthening transparency, trust and citizen engagement.
Meta’s Head of Public Policy, Sade Dada, said open-source AI plays a key role in economic growth and productivity, adding that GovGuide Nigeria demonstrates its practical value.
She explained that Publica AI built the chatbot using Meta’s open-source models and designed it for broad accessibility, including rural communities and low-literacy users.
The Chief Executive Officer of Publica AI, Ignatius Willie, said the platform marks a shift towards more conversational and inclusive public service delivery.
He stated that GovGuide Nigeria was developed through collaboration among government agencies, technology partners and Nigerian language contributors.
The ministry said the chatbot was created to expand multilingual access to government information and support wider digital transformation efforts.
The launch comes as the Federal Government continues to push digital inclusion and artificial intelligence adoption to improve service delivery nationwide.