Nigeria's AI Landscape: Between Hopeful Innovation and Systemic Challenges

Part 1: Lagos Chapter's first salons

Editors Note: The Ai Salon’s 🇳🇬 Lagos Chapter 🇳🇬 had their first two salons in February and March of 2025! Celebrating these first Ai Salons in Lagos, Nigeria, Africa and the entire southern hemisphere, we will post distillations of both of these conversations in the next two weeks. I found them incredibly interesting and hope you will two!

This is Part 1! As always, this is an AI-supported distillation of an in-person event, this time held in Lagos on February 28, 2025 facilitated by the Lagos Chapter Lead,

Francis Sani

and colleagues - it is meant to capture the conversations at the event. Quotes are paraphrased from the original conversation and all names have been changed.

👉 Jump to a longer list of takeaways and open questions

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🎧 AI-generated podcast

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Nigeria's AI Landscape: Between Hopeful Innovation and Systemic Challenges

In a world racing toward an AI-powered future, Nigeria finds itself at a fascinating crossroads. While global discourse often frames Africa as perpetually playing catch-up with technological advancements, a surprising reality emerges: Nigeria's AI adoption rate potentially exceeds the global average of 48%. This counterintuitive finding challenges conventional narratives about technology adoption in developing economies. Yet beneath this promising statistic lies a complex ecosystem of contradictions—a nation demonstrating remarkable technological hunger despite fundamental infrastructure limitations, scattered innovation without coordination, and a troubling disconnect between academia, government, and industry. As Nigeria navigates this critical inflection point in technological history, the question becomes not whether the country will participate in the AI revolution, but rather how it might transform challenges into unique advantages and shape its own technological destiny rather than merely consuming innovations from elsewhere.

Main Takeaways

• Nigeria shows unexpectedly high AI adoption despite infrastructure challenges, suggesting significant potential for AI integration across sectors when basic limitations are addressed.

• The AI ecosystem in Nigeria currently lacks coordination, with innovators working in isolation without awareness of state-of-the-art systems being developed locally.

• Academic institutions are failing to prepare students for modern AI development, with outdated teaching methods like writing code on paper rather than practical implementation.

• Data centralization represents a critical challenge and opportunity for Nigeria's AI development, with one participant noting: "We need to centralize data across all. We need to do it as soon as yesterday."

• Individual agency rather than abstract government responsibility will likely drive Nigeria's AI advancement, as demonstrated by previous technological leapfrogging with mobile phones.

• Nigeria has a unique opportunity to develop localized AI solutions that address specific contextual challenges rather than importing generic approaches.

• Policy frameworks lag behind technological adoption, creating a governance vacuum that many participants viewed as more limiting than infrastructure challenges.

Infrastructure Limitations vs. Innovation Potential

The tension between Nigeria's infrastructure realities and its innovation aspirations creates a fascinating paradox. As one participant described it: "It's a mixture of hopeful states... But then on the flip side, it's sort of like, okay, no light in Nigeria, right? There's no light. There's a lot of… I mean, look at Internet we're struggling with."

This fundamental contradiction—high technological interest despite basic infrastructure limitations—represents both Nigeria's greatest challenge and perhaps its most promising opportunity. Rather than viewing infrastructure limitations as insurmountable barriers, there's growing recognition that innovation might actually help overcome these challenges through creative approaches.

One participant directly challenged the infrastructure-first mindset: "I argued the point before that sometimes the innovation and the push actually solve the infrastructure problem... If you look at the Google problem they were able to make themselves more energy efficient by 40%." This perspective suggests that Nigeria's infrastructure challenges might drive efficiency innovations that wouldn't emerge in contexts of abundance.

The conversation revealed that infrastructure workarounds are already being implemented in practical ways. One AI developer shared: "The first training run I ever did, we did it with a macro... Then it took us two days... The NEPA took life. So after then, we realized that there was a YC company called Lightning AI... The same training run that took us two days, we do not use four hours on that." This pragmatic adaptation demonstrates how cloud computing can bypass local power constraints.

Another participant even suggested that what seems like inadequate internet bandwidth might actually be sufficient with AI-driven optimization: "There's a world where I was thinking that [21 MB per second] might be all that we ever need to be honest... because if we have effective compression algorithms through AI... The 21 MBP now becomes gold."

Nigeria's history with technological leapfrogging offers reason for optimism. As one participant noted: "Africa, yes, Nigeria. We leapfrog when it comes to technology. Like the advent of GSM back in Obasanja's era, like everyone had it... we started doing a lot of things right." This historical pattern suggests Nigeria might bypass certain developmental stages in AI adoption, just as it did with mobile technology, skipping landline infrastructure entirely.

The question isn't whether infrastructure limitations exist—they clearly do—but rather whether they represent absolute barriers or merely challenges that drive innovative approaches. Nigeria's unexpected AI adoption rate suggests the latter may be closer to the truth.

Individual Agency vs. Government Responsibility

A critical insight that emerged from the conversation was Nigeria's cultural tendency to abstract responsibility away from individuals and toward an amorphous "government" entity. This pattern appears particularly pronounced in discussions about technological advancement and infrastructure development.

As one participant observed: "It's become cultural for us to abstract responsibility by default." This cultural habit creates a psychological barrier to innovation by relieving individuals of their sense of agency. The same participant elaborated: "We go between delusion and reality. Number one, you know that you did not vote or you know that you did not go and contest. And you know that the person that is the House of Rep or the person that is in government today does not have the capacity. You are aware of that, though. You now step out of that. I now come and say, oh, the government. What government is. Oh, the government is bad."

The reality, however, is that revolutionary technological advances rarely begin with government policy. As one AI researcher noted: "AI didn't get to where it was today just like that... It was a collective of people coming together and saying that we could make it work... And government was trying to play catch up. They're still playing catch up. They're playing catch up in the US, they're playing catch up in China, they're playing catch up in France."

This historical perspective on AI's global development provides a crucial lesson for Nigeria: waiting for perfect government policy before innovation begins misunderstands how technological advancement actually occurs. Another participant framed this insight powerfully: "We have to build the country of our dreams by the work of our hands, not by some abstract entity, not by some abstract external person."

The notion that Nigeria must first solve all infrastructure problems before meaningful AI development can occur is contradicted by the country's recent history with technology startups. Despite persistent infrastructure challenges, Nigeria has produced multiple unicorns and led the continent in technology investment for several years. As one participant noted: "Did we have infrastructure before we built the most number of unicorns in five years on this continent?"

The path forward appears to require a cultural shift from abstract government expectations toward individual and collective agency—recognizing that governments everywhere are playing catch-up to AI advancement rather than leading it.

Education, Talent Development and Knowledge Sharing

The conversation revealed a troubling disconnect between Nigeria's educational institutions and the rapidly evolving field of AI. This gap threatens to undermine the country's ability to develop local talent capable of driving AI innovation.

One participant, currently pursuing a PhD in AI, offered a stark assessment: "The academia, the government, and the private sector sector academia, I kid you not, it's in shambles. Like, I'm currently doing a PhD in AI. And last Saturday in Bcook, I was in class and literally my lecturer was talking about writing Java code on a piece of paper." This antiquated approach creates graduates ill-equipped for modern AI development.

The educational challenge is compounded by a significant generational divide in AI understanding and adoption. As one participant observed: "I think we're very excited, particularly, you know, the youths. We're excited, we're curious... But then we have the older ones who are like just clueless, who don't even know what's happening at all or who are aware that there's this thing and it's fear that comes as the first reaction."

This generational gap is particularly problematic because key decision-makers in both government and industry tend to come from older demographics. As another participant noted: "The elderly generation, there is still that curve to get around, right? And that is where you see funds or projects or approvals of the change."

One solution emerging organically is the development of community knowledge-sharing initiatives. Multiple participants mentioned attending AI-focused events and building learning communities. There's also recognition of the need for knowledge transfer between generations, as exemplified by one participant's experience: "If you hire a guy from a university, for example, working in some organization and he understands AI and his boss, who doesn't, gives him a task and is able to do it very effectively and efficiently, he then upskills his boss, right? And that is where you start to bring in that layer of change."

As Nigeria looks toward an AI-enabled future, reimagining educational approaches and creating accessible learning pathways will be crucial for developing the talent needed to drive innovation. This may require thinking beyond traditional academic models toward more flexible, practice-oriented learning communities.

Policy, Data Centralization and Governance

The conversation highlighted data centralization as perhaps the most critical immediate challenge for Nigeria's AI development. Without accessible, standardized data, even the most sophisticated AI approaches will struggle to deliver value in the Nigerian context.

One participant emphasized this point using real estate as an example: "In the real estate sector, one of the most rubbish but very, very expensive and valuable sector in our economy. You cannot in real time see, say, oh, this is the amount of property... available for rent in this community." The emergence of advanced AI agents makes this limitation particularly frustrating because these tools are designed precisely to gather, synthesize and act upon such data: "With AI agent, it changes the job of an AI agent. When RAG came in was for it to scale data sets, to scale multiple RAG platforms and search for queries in real time. The librarian guy is not more archaic. It's now alive."

The policy landscape around AI in Nigeria remains underdeveloped, creating uncertainty for innovators and potential adopters alike. One participant with experience in AI governance noted the knowledge gap: "When I'm in the room, I'm talking to policymakers and they don't even know the difference between release versus deployment. And it's not even a Nigerian thing."

Several participants emphasized that policy barriers may be more significant than infrastructure limitations: "Every single thing that we complain of from an infrastructural level is solved. It's policy and people. Policy, people." Another participant agreed: "Where policy sits and policies, it sits at the center, right?"

The government's AI Collective initiative represents a promising start toward coordinating previously isolated efforts. As one participant noted: "That's one of the few things that I'll credit the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy doing with the AI collective initiative."

The question of ethical AI governance also emerged as a significant concern. As one participant noted: "We cannot not focus on ethical AI. It is too risky for the human race. We cannot afford to not talk about ethical AI. Ethical AI should be in every conversation around AI." This focus on responsible development represents an opportunity for Nigeria to contribute to global conversations around AI ethics from a unique perspective.

The conversation also touched on Nigeria's position in the global AI value chain, particularly regarding upstream model development versus downstream applications. One participant observed: "Today you look at the way there has been sort of like a divide between the western and this part of the world. And then you have China just doing its own thing... We're not at the place where we are just serial consumers... The western world and China, they now play active role in upstream modern development. And that's where the economics around how you distribute, how you make sense of these models that you probably distill or fine tune and make sense, you know, that's where a lot of it comes from."

The path forward appears to require a balanced approach—establishing necessary data standards and ethical frameworks while avoiding overregulation that might stifle innovation. Nigeria has the opportunity to develop governance approaches suited to its specific context rather than simply importing regulatory models from elsewhere.

The Dance Between Global and Local AI Development

A fascinating perspective emerged around what one participant called "the dance between hyperlocalized and globalized" AI development. This concept recognizes that while AI algorithms may be global, their effective implementation requires deep localization.

As one AI expert explained: "One of the things around AI is the fact that is this dance between hyperlocalized and globalized. And there's a continuous dance. You have the algorithms, they work, but somehow you need to intertwine them with localized data. How do you keep going back and forth?"

This dance creates both challenges and opportunities for Nigeria. While the country may struggle to compete in developing foundation models requiring massive computing resources, it holds unique advantages in localizing these models for African contexts. As the same participant noted: "I'm never scared that somebody will bring a solution from the US to Nigeria because our problems are so unique. The person has to first of all to have that dance between localized and globalized either from a data perspective, from a model perspective, from the combination of both."

This insight suggests Nigeria's AI strategy might focus more on localization and adaptation rather than trying to compete directly with Western or Chinese companies in creating foundation models. By deeply understanding local contexts and developing unique datasets, Nigeria can create AI applications that address challenges specific to its environment in ways global models cannot.

Several participants mentioned AI agents as a particularly promising technology for the Nigerian context. These autonomous AI systems that can take actions on behalf of users could help overcome various infrastructure limitations. As one participant noted: "If we understand that what is the most interesting thing that agent can offer us in a country like this? It's the same thing Google has always offered us, data information. But unlike the current technology out there, the way and method at which this data can now come to us is now real time instantaneous."

The opportunity to build uniquely Nigerian AI applications speaks to a broader point about cultural and contextual diversity in technology development. As AI systems increasingly shape how societies function, ensuring diverse perspectives in their development becomes crucial not just for Nigeria but for global technological equity.

Nigeria's AI Crossroads: From Consumer to Creator

Nigeria stands at a critical juncture in its technological development. Despite significant infrastructure challenges, the country demonstrates surprisingly high AI adoption and interest across demographics. This enthusiasm, coupled with Nigeria's history of technological leapfrogging, suggests potential for meaningful participation in the global AI revolution rather than merely consuming technologies developed elsewhere.

The most significant barriers to Nigeria's AI advancement appear to be coordination and data centralization rather than purely technical infrastructure. While power and internet limitations are real, cloud computing and distributed resources offer viable workarounds. The lack of coordinated data standards and accessibility represents a more fundamental challenge that requires both policy intervention and collaborative action.

Nigeria's educational institutions urgently need modernization to develop AI-capable talent, but alternative learning pathways are emerging through communities of practice and international collaboration. The generational divide in AI understanding presents challenges, particularly as key decision-makers often come from demographics less familiar with these technologies.

Perhaps most fundamentally, Nigeria's AI future will depend on shifting from a mindset of government dependency toward individual and collective agency. As one participant powerfully stated: "We have to build the country of our dreams by the work of our hands, not by some abstract entity, not by some abstract external person."

If Nigeria can address these coordination challenges while leveraging its technological enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit, it has the opportunity not just to adopt AI technologies but to adapt and reshape them for uniquely African contexts. The library of AI possibilities, as one participant noted, is now "alive"—the question is whether Nigeria will merely browse that library or contribute its own volumes to the collection.

As another participant observed with elegant simplicity: "If you reframe the problem, the solution becomes obvious." Perhaps Nigeria's greatest AI opportunity lies precisely in this reframing—seeing infrastructure limitations not as insurmountable barriers but as design constraints that might drive uniquely Nigerian innovations the world has yet to imagine.

Notes from the Conversation

1. Nigeria has a surprisingly high AI adoption rate, potentially higher than the global average of 48%, with many participants in the conversation regularly using AI tools.

2. There's a generational divide in AI adoption in Nigeria, with younger people being more excited and curious about AI, while older generations show more fear and hesitation.

3. The AI ecosystem in Nigeria lacks coordination, with various individuals and organizations working in isolation without a clear understanding of the state-of-the-art systems being built locally.

4. Data centralization is a critical challenge for Nigeria's AI development, affecting the ability to build useful AI applications for sectors like real estate.

5. Nigerian academia is struggling to keep up with AI advancements, with outdated teaching methods (e.g., writing code on paper) that don't prepare students for modern AI development.

6. Infrastructure challenges like inconsistent power supply and limited internet connectivity are significant barriers to AI development in Nigeria.

7. Nigeria may be able to leapfrog in AI development despite infrastructure limitations through innovative approaches and specific use cases.

8. Policy and governance are seen as crucial barriers to AI advancement in Nigeria, more so than technical infrastructure limitations.

9. There's a cultural tendency in Nigeria to abstract responsibility to "the government" rather than recognizing individual agency in driving change.

10. The AI Collective initiative by the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy is a positive step toward coordinating AI efforts in Nigeria.

11. Access to computing resources for training AI models can be addressed through cloud solutions, reducing the impact of local power limitations.

12. The advancement of AI globally has been driven primarily by individual researchers and companies rather than government policies.

13. Nigeria has shown it can produce unicorns despite infrastructure challenges, suggesting similar success might be possible with AI.

14. There's interest in using AI to address local problems like healthcare access and costs, though currency fluctuations complicate implementation.

15. Nigeria has a significant opportunity to shape how AI is implemented locally rather than just being a passive consumer of foreign technology.

16. There's a growing community of AI practitioners in Nigeria interested in knowledge sharing and collaboration.

17. Ethical considerations and governance of AI are becoming important topics of discussion in Nigeria's tech ecosystem.

18. The upstream model development (creating foundational AI models) is a space where Nigeria faces significant barriers compared to the West and China.

19. Conversations around AI in Nigeria tend to focus on applications rather than underlying research and model development.

20. The idea of "responsible AI" is gaining traction among Nigerian AI developers who want to ensure ethical use of the technology.

Open Questions

1. How can Nigeria centralize its data effectively to build better AI applications while addressing privacy and security concerns?

2. What policies are needed to enable AI innovation while ensuring ethical use in the Nigerian context?

3. How can Nigerian academia be reformed to better prepare students for careers in AI development?

4. Can Nigeria move from being a consumer of AI technology to participating in upstream model development?

5. How might Nigeria leverage its high AI adoption rate into economic advantages?

6. What unique AI applications might emerge from Nigeria's specific socioeconomic context?

7. How can Nigeria address the generational divide in AI understanding, particularly among decision-makers?

8. What role should the government play versus private sector in advancing AI in Nigeria?

9. How might Nigeria's AI initiatives address both urban and rural populations effectively?

10. Can AI help overcome some of Nigeria's infrastructure limitations through innovative approaches?

11. What would an African approach to AI ethics and governance look like, distinct from Western or Chinese models?

12. How will currency fluctuations impact Nigeria's ability to invest in and benefit from AI technologies?

13. How can Nigeria ensure that AI benefits are distributed equitably across socioeconomic classes?

14. What role might AI play in addressing Nigeria's healthcare challenges?

15. How can Nigeria develop AI talent without relying exclusively on formal education systems that are currently struggling?

16. What collaborative models might work to connect isolated AI initiatives across Nigeria?

17. How might Nigeria's cultural context inform unique approaches to AI development and implementation?

18. What specific sectors in Nigeria are most ready for AI transformation?

19. How can Nigeria balance innovation with regulation in the AI space?

20. What would be the best initial focus for Nigeria's AI strategy: education, infrastructure, applications, or policy?