Nigeria’s national AI strategy: Charting a bold Path for responsible and inclusive innovation
19 mai 2025
The Federal Ministry of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE) has released a comprehensive and ambitious draft of Nigeria’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (NAIS) as of August 2024. This strategic roadmap lays the foundation for a transformative agenda intended to position Nigeria as a continental leader in AI, and a responsible global participant in AI governance and application.
Why a National AI Strategy?
The global rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has created both opportunities and complex challenges. With the AI industry projected to contribute over $15 trillion to global GDP by 2030[1], countries across the globe are developing national AI strategies to secure competitive advantage. For Nigeria, the stakes are high: a population of over 200 million, a young and vibrant tech ecosystem, and urgent socio-economic needs make AI an essential tool for sustainable development.
The NAIS recognizes AI as a "nation-defining capability." With use cases across agriculture, health, education, finance, and climate resilience, the strategy is aimed at closing existing developmental gaps while avoiding technological marginalization. Notably, AI is viewed as a potential equalizer for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) — if deployed with accountability and inclusivity[2].
The Vision and Strategic Objectives
The vision of NAIS is:
“To be a global leader in harnessing the transformative power of AI through responsible, ethical, and inclusive innovation, fostering sustainable development through collaborative efforts.”
To achieve this, NAIS outlines three overarching objectives:
Economic Growth and Competitiveness: Boost productivity, create new jobs, attract investment.
Social Development and Inclusion: Improve access to essential services like healthcare and education, reduce inequality.
Technological Advancement and Leadership: Strengthen local R&D, enforce ethical frameworks, and position Nigeria as a regional leader.
Five Strategic Pillars
NAIS is structured around five core pillars:
Building Foundational AI Infrastructure: Developing affordable, high-performance computing (HPC), clean energy AI clusters, and AI-specific hardware and software.
Building and Sustaining a World-Class AI Ecosystem: Establishing Centres of Excellence, fostering academia-industry partnerships, and creating national collaboration platforms.
Accelerating AI Adoption and Sector Transformation: Encouraging AI use across critical sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, and energy.
Ensuring Responsible and Ethical AI Development: Embedding fairness, transparency, and accountability in all AI systems.
Developing a Robust AI Governance Framework: Enforcing legal, ethical, and regulatory mechanisms.
Emphasis on Inclusivity and Local Relevance
The strategy explicitly targets the inclusion of underrepresented groups, particularly women and persons with disabilities. It also recognizes the need for AI tools that reflect Nigeria’s local languages, cultures, and priorities. For example, startups like Intron Health and FundusA are already working on AI solutions tailored to local healthcare and financial contexts.
In addition, the government plans to engage local AI researchers and diaspora experts in crafting policy and developing open datasets to train AI in Nigerian-specific contexts.
Education, Youth and Talent Development
Nigeria is home to the fastest-growing youth population globally. NAIS seeks to leverage this demographic advantage by:
Training at least 3 million AI-literate youth via the 3MTT program.
Integrating AI and robotics into primary and secondary school curricula.
Launching the Nigerian AI Talent Transfer Program, attracting global experts.
Creating employment pathways in AI for young Nigerians across sectors.
Regulatory and Ethical Safeguards
NAIS emphasizes the importance of regulation without stifling innovation. It proposes:
Alignment with the 2023 Data Protection Act for responsible data use.
Development of AI Ethics Guidelines, overseen by the AI Ethics Expert Group (AIEEG).
Clear legal standards through integration with existing laws like the Cybercrime Act and IP law.
International Collaboration and Leadership
NAIS sees AI as a strategic diplomatic and economic asset. Nigeria has already signed the Bletchley Declaration on AI and joined global coalitions to promote safe and secure AI development. Strategic partnerships are planned with entities like Google AI, UNESCO, and the African Union.
Risks and Mitigation
The strategy candidly identifies trade-offs:
Innovation vs. Regulation
Transparency vs. System Security
Individual Rights vs. State Interests
To address these, the strategy proposes robust risk governance including data audits, explainability mandates, and a national oversight body.
Challenges Acknowledged
Nigeria ranks 103rd on the Oxford AI Readiness Index[3]. The document highlights challenges such as:
Low digital literacy
Infrastructure deficits
Talent migration ("brain drain")
Still, it proposes practical responses such as:
AI-powered curriculum development
Incentives for tech infrastructure investment
Strategic diaspora engagement
Conclusion
Nigeria's National AI Strategy is one of the most ambitious in Africa to date. It reflects a clear understanding that AI is not just a technological trend but a tool for nation-building. Through inclusive governance, ethical innovation, and investment in talent and infrastructure, Nigeria positions itself to lead Africa’s AI transformation.
The strategy calls not only for government action but also for participation from civil society, academia, and the private sector. Whether it succeeds will depend on sustained implementation, policy coherence, and genuine multistakeholder engagement.
References
[1] PwC (2019). Global Artificial Intelligence Study.
[2] The Future Society (2022). Inclusive AI Strategies for Emerging Economies.
[3] Oxford Insights (2023). Government AI Readiness Index.
