Yola, March 24, 2026 (NAN) Mr Vangawa Bolgent, founder of Gazette News Nigeria, has unveiled an artificial intelligence integration initiative to enhance newsroom operations, speaking on Tuesday in Yola during a digital task management training programme.
The training, themed AI Integration Initiative for Media Practitioners, brought together journalists, media professionals and technology facilitators to deepen understanding of artificial intelligence and its growing role in Nigerian storytelling practice.
Bolgent said the programme aimed to equip participants with practical knowledge on using artificial intelligence to improve newsroom efficiency while maintaining editorial standards, accuracy, and credibility in modern journalism practice.
He said that newsrooms globally were transforming, with artificial intelligence integrated into processes from information gathering to distribution, citing collaboration between Al Jazeera Media Network and Google Cloud as example.
According to him, the Journalism AI Innovation Challenge, supported by the Google News Initiative, awarded grants to 35 organisations across 22 countries in 2024 to encourage experimentation with artificial intelligence tools.
Bolgent said the initiative enabled small and medium sized newsrooms to adopt artificial intelligence within editorial workflows, adding that similar efforts in Nigeria included local language transcription and translation tools development.
He said industry data showed artificial intelligence assisted workflows could reduce time spent on routine newsroom tasks by between 30 and 50 per cent, improving productivity and overall efficiency significantly.
“We are adopting artificial intelligence because our readers deserve faster, deeper and more accurate journalism, not because it is trendy,” Bolgent said during the interactive training session with participants.
A media consultant, Mr Radeno Haniel of Rali Media, cautioned against poor adoption strategies, noting that lack of proper training in artificial intelligence could reduce audience trust in news organisations.
Haniel stressed that artificial intelligence must be integrated with clear editorial values and professional standards to ensure credibility, relevance and accuracy in news production across evolving digital media environments.
Mr Ogyem Palke emphasised the importance of coordination, structure and time management in modern journalism, adding that effective communication within newsrooms remained vital for timely and accurate reporting.
Ms Sa’adat Azumi, a participant, said the training changed her perception of artificial intelligence, adding that knowledge gained would help bridge the gap between local and global media practices.(NAN)
