Nigeria in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the global software scene at breakneck speed, creating clear leaders and exposing those that are slow to adapt. Worldwide, governments are weaving artificial intelligence into governance, finance, healthcare, education, and national development. But in Nigeria, the discussion remains disjointed—slowed down by weak institutions, leadership disputes, and the absence of a unified national direction.

This raises a tough but necessary question: has Nigeria’s software community lost its relevance in the artificial intelligence era?

Nigeria’s software and digital services industry—valued at over $2.4 billion in 2024—keeps expanding on the back of fintech, govtech, and edtech growth. Yet this progress has not translated into global influence or strong policy impact.

Despite being home to Africa’s largest pool of software developers, the country still lacks a coherent AI strategy, a national alignment framework, or a coordinated body driving local innovation. Instead, the industry’s once-prominent professional organizations are embroiled in internal battles.

ISPON, once the leading voice for software practitioners, has become largely inactive. Its absence in debates around AI ethics, data governance, software sovereignty, or protection of local IP has left a critical void. The Nigerian Computer Society (NCS), which should ordinarily serve as the backbone of the IT community, has also lost momentum due to infighting and inconsistent engagement with policymakers.

As a result, Nigeria’s software ecosystem has no unified front capable of influencing national AI policy or protecting local innovators as the world races ahead.

Tech pioneer Leo Stan Ekeh, chairman of Zinox Group, has repeatedly stressed that Nigeria cannot win the AI race without fixing its basic infrastructure.

“You can’t build intelligence on inefficiency,”
he warned, pointing to unreliable power and patchy broadband.

Former ISPON president and industry veteran Chris Uwaje has also been vocal about the dangers of depending on imported software. His long-standing argument: Nigeria must guard its software sovereignty or risk becoming a passive digital consumer. He often cites solutions like Remita as proof that indigenous platforms can power core national systems.

The painful truth is clear: Nigeria has the talent but not the ecosystem.

Globally, AI is redrawing the structure of the software industry. Machine learning experts and AI engineers have become the new elite. In 2024 alone, global AI startup funding exceeded $70 billion, with Africa capturing less than 1%.

In Nigeria, only a handful of companies—mostly in fintech and healthtech—are actively building AI-driven tools. Universities lag with outdated curricula and inadequate infrastructure, deepening the talent and innovation gap. Meanwhile, global giants like Google, Microsoft, and AWS are embedding AI across their ecosystems, tightening their dominance while Nigerian developers scramble for survival, funding, and recognition.

Nigeria’s software professionals are full of potential. What they lack is coordination, vision, and institutional leadership.

A revitalized ISPON and an ambitious NCS could:

push for a credible National Artificial Intelligence Framework that protects sovereignty while enabling innovation,
Advocate for local content policies that prioritize indigenous technologies in critical sectors, and champion an Artificial Intelligence Innovation Fund to support startups building models in local languages, food security analytics, public sector automation, and more.

Without a united front and clear agenda, the nation will continue importing intelligence instead of exporting it.

Nigeria is at a critical crossroads. Its massive youth population, rising tech adoption, and entrepreneurial energy are major assets. But to truly benefit from the global artificial intelligence shift, the country must rebuild the foundations—leadership within industry bodies, stakeholder collaboration, and meaningful policy dialogue with the government.

As Chris Uwaje often reminds the nation:
“Software is the DNA of national development.”

If that is true, then artificial intelligence is the next evolution of that DNA—and Nigeria must choose whether to lead, follow, or get left behind.