尼日利亚的人工智能——机遇、挑战与战略路径

Contents Foreword ------------------------------------------------------------------- 4Introduction ---------------------------------------------------------------- 5AI in Africa ----------------------------------------------------------------- 6AI in Nigeria ---------------------------------------------------------------- 7Challenges of AI adoption in Nigeria ----------------------------------- 10Opportunities and use cases of AI in Nigeria -------------------------- 16AI policies and regulations in Nigeria----------------------------------- 23Evaluating Nigeria's National AI Strategy ------------------------------- 25Benefits of AI to the Government --------------------------------------- 26Responsible by design: Building trustworthy AI systems ------------- 27Recommendations ------------------------------------------------------- 29 Foreword With the advent of generative AI solutions, artificial Intelligence has progressed from a notion onceconsidered distant to a significant and influential force positively impacting global industries, economies,and governance. AI is expected to add up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, making it oneof the most transformative technologies of our time. From tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT to platforms suchas High-Flyer’s DeepSeek, AI is already reshaping industries—enhancing customer service, acceleratingmedical diagnostics, and powering smarter decision-making across sectors. As Nigeria seeks to establish itself as a global digital powerhouse, AI presents a transformativeopportunity to enhance productivity, drive innovation, and harness inclusive economic growth. However,to catalyse national development, we must approach AI with strategic intent—leveraging its potentialwhile mitigating its risks, ensuring AI solutions are inclusive and solving social and institutional challenges.Through the collaborative effort of Nigerians in the AI ecosystem, our strategic approach has beenarticulated in our National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (NAIS) and supported by other initiatives like theNational AI Research Scheme (NAIRS) towards enhancing our AI scholarship and evidence, AI Collective,building an ecosystem of academia, civil society and innovators. While innovative local startups like Ubenwa and uLesson are advancing AI solutions in Nigeria, thebroader ecosystem continues to face significant challenges to widespread adoption. Yet, thesechallenges are far from insurmountable. In fact, several solutions are already underway, offering clearpathways forward: •Digital infrastructure: Bridging the connectivity gap between rural and urban areas throughinitiatives like Project BRIDGE, which aims to expand Nigeria’s fibre optic network by 90,000 km,and Project 774, which ensures that every local government secretariat benefits from high-speedinternet access.•Skills development: Empowering the next generation through programmes like the Three MillionTechnical Talent (3MTT) initiative, which has already trained 106,225 learners across its first twocohorts in cutting-edge digital and AI skills.•Data readiness: Building robust local datasets to train AI models that reflect Nigeria’s uniquecontext, with efforts led by innovators like Awarri.•Regulatory frameworks: Nigeria is developing adaptive and forward-thinking policies, such as theNational AI Strategy, to promote innovation while safeguarding public interest.•Ethical governance: Embedding principles of transparency, fairness, and accountability intoevery stage of AI development and deployment. Our government is committed to transforming these challenges into stepping stones for growth. Throughstrategic investments, collaborative partnerships, and forward-thinking policies, we aim to unlock thevast potential of AI to drive sustainable development, boost economic competitiveness, and uplift everysegment of Nigerian society. This whitepaper is a call to action—a rallying cry for policymakers, researchers, and business leaders toharness the transformative power of AI. Let us move boldly into this new era, building an AI-poweredNigeria that is innovative, inclusive, and unstoppable. Dr. Bosun Tijani Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Introduction Artificial intelligence is reshaping the global economy, with generative AI (GenAI)marking a significant leap in accessibility and impact. While traditional artificialintelligence has long driven progress in data analysis, automation, and predictivemodelling, GenAI represents a significant leap forward in the democratisation oftechnology. By removing the need for specialised expertise, it enables a broaderrange of people to access and benefit from powerful tools simply through naturallanguage interaction. AI is set to revolutionise the global economy,transforming industries, enhancing productivity,and fostering innovation. According to a PwCreport, AI is expected to contribute up to $15.7trillion to the global economy by 20301. Oftencom