NTMSF Launches ToriAI Tool to Drive Sustainability in Nigerian Newsrooms

The New Thoughts Media Support Foundation, NTMSF has launched ToriAI, an artificial intelligence tool aimed at transforming the journalism industry. The launch took place during the Innovation for Development Conference held in Lagos on Wednesday.

ToriAI is designed to help media organisations get more out of a single story. The platform transforms content into multiple media formats, translates them into local languages and generates social media friendly summaries. 

The launch was led by Habeeb Oladapo, Senior Program Manager, NSTFM and Chikezie Omeje, Project Lead, Grassroots News Project. They noted that ToriAI’s mission is to help newsrooms grow audiences, deepen community engagement, and unlock new revenue streams. In his address, Seun Akinfolarin, NTMSF Executive Director, stressed that ToriAI was not just about efficiency, but ensuring that innovation amplifies truth and inclusion. He warned against AI being used purely for profit or polarisation.

A panel, including scholars, editors, and tech leaders, which had the likes of Prof. Suleiman Yar’adua, Prof. Abiodun Musa Aibinu, Dr. Olusola Ayoola, Dr. Aderonke Lawal, Dr. Kayode Odeyemi, Dr. Jibril Abdullah, and Lanre Ogunkunle, discussed the ethical, infrastructural, and social implications of deploying AI in newsrooms. Notably, Prof. Abiodun Musa Aibinu, a Nigerian Professor of Mechatronics who also doubles as Vice Chancellor of Summit University, Offa, used the opportunity to call for reforms in Nigeria’s education and innovation mindset, saying that true AI progress must begin with systemic change in how the country values research, creativity, and collaboration. 

NTMSF also used the occasion to unveil companion initiatives like Citizens College, Connected Newsrooms, Kohort, and Falasa, intended to support media capacity building, civic engagement, and innovation.