Google has announced a free 12-month Google AI Plus subscription for eligible students enrolled in higher institutions across Nigeria.
The initiative is designed to make advanced artificial intelligence tools more accessible to Nigerian students by reducing the financial cost of adopting AI for education and skills development.
Olumide Balogun, Google’s Director for West and East Africa, announced the programme in a statement on Thursday.
According to Balogun, the offer is valued at N92,400 per student and is available to students aged 18 and above attending accredited universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in Nigeria.
Returning students can renew offer
Students who benefited from the programme during the previous academic year will also be able to access another 12 months, provided they successfully re-verify their student status.
Google said the subscription gives beneficiaries expanded access to several AI-powered learning tools, including Gemini, Gemini Live, Deep Research and Guided Learning.
The package also comes with 400GB of cloud storage, unlimited file uploads and customised practice quizzes designed to assist students with their academic activities.
Balogun described artificial intelligence as a major technological transformation and said Nigeria could use the technology to accelerate development and expand opportunities for young people.
He said the initiative would help students understand difficult subjects, build digital capabilities and improve their competitiveness in the international economy.
Google highlights Guided Learning feature
Google said its Guided Learning feature is designed to encourage students to understand concepts rather than simply receive completed answers.
Instead of immediately providing solutions, the feature uses hints and guiding questions to help learners work through problems and develop their understanding.
Balogun referenced a Google DeepMind study involving 1,763 students in West Africa, which reported significant learning progress among students who used Guided Learning.
The study found that more than 90 per cent of interactions were focused on understanding concepts, while Gemini supplied direct solutions in only about 2 per cent of interactions.
Google also said teachers could use Google Classroom to restrict Gemini to Guided Learning mode, allowing students to receive AI-supported assistance while reducing the possibility of using the technology as a shortcut.
Student data excluded from AI training
Balogun said students could use the programme without their student or classroom data being used to train Google’s artificial intelligence models.
The student offer is available in Nigeria and 26 other countries across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Eligible students are required to verify their enrolment through SheerID before claiming the subscription through Google’s student AI offer platform.
What Google AI Plus includes
Google AI Plus is a personal subscription tier offered through Google One that provides users with expanded access to the company’s artificial intelligence ecosystem.
The package includes access to advanced Gemini models and other AI-powered applications, alongside cloud storage and additional features designed for productivity, learning and creative work.
For Nigerian tertiary institution students, the 12-month offer provides an opportunity to gain practical experience with AI tools without paying the regular subscription cost.
