REGULATING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN NIGERIA: BALANCING INNOVATION AND ETHICAL LIABILITY
INTRODUCTION
Nigeria is one of Africa's leading countries when it comes to artificial intelligence. The rate of interest and development in artificial intelligence keeps increasing as more individuals and companies become aware of the potentials in artificial intelligence. Dr. Oluwaseyi Akinbobola, Director of the Lagos AI Research Institute, noted that Nigeria's AI landscape has matured considerably over the past 18 months, with investments in AI startups increasing by 43% since early 2023. However, artificial intelligence poses ethical concerns. In this article, we will consider how to balance innovation and the ethical considerations in artificial intelligence.
WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?
The term artificial intelligence describes a wide range of technologies that power many of the services and goods we use every day – from apps that recommend TV shows to chatbots that provide customer support in real time.Artificial intelligence (AI) is the theory and development of computer systems capable of performing tasks that historically required human intelligence, such as recognizing speech, making decisions, and identifying patterns. It refers to computer systems capable of performing complex tasks that historically only humans could do, such as reasoning, making decisions, or solving problems. The te rm 'AI' today is associated with systems that perform tasks that were formerly performed by humans. Built from data, hardware and connectivity, AI allows machines to mimic human intelligence such as perception, problem-solving, linguistic interaction or creativity.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN NIGERIA
In Nigeria, the evolution of artificial intelligence is not just a technological shift but an opportunity to improve on public services, economic activities as well as reposition the country as a leader in Africa's technological development. As a result of the global advancement and recognition of artificial intelligence, investors, entrepreneurs, policy makers have begun to actively explore artificial intelligence and its role in advancing the economy as well as solving challenges. This has led to the paradigm shift in favour of artificial intelligence in Nigeria. In Nigeria, there are various AI tools that have been introduced to solve problems and promote greater efficiency.
The Nigerian government has also setup frameworks for the regulation of artificial intelligence such as the NITDA AI Framework, and National AI Strategy Draft in order to ensure that AI is leveraged upon for economic growth as well as technological advancement. There are also several initiatives to support AI innovation. These include the Nigeria Artificial Intelligence Research Scheme (NAIRS) and the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), both of which provide funding, infrastructure, and technical support for AI-driven projects.
There are currently seven (7) major government ministries, departments and agencies that have mandates to advance and/or regulate the use of artificial intelligence in Nigeria. These are:
1. Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy
2. Nigerian Communications Commission
3. Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation
4. National Information Technology Development Agency
5. National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion
6. Securities and Exchange Commission
7. Corporate Affairs Commission
INNOVATIONS IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN NIGERIA
It is also pertinent to point out that artificial intelligence has been adopted into various areas such as financial technology, communication, healthcare, information, education and agriculture to make life easy for Nigerians.
The number of AI-focused startups in Nigeria has grown from approximately 35 in 2022 to over 80 in early 2024, concentrated primarily in Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt. These startups have collectively raised over $120 million in funding during this period, signaling growing investor confidence in Nigeria's AI potential⁵. The innovations in artificial intelligence have been driven by companies such as:
1. Kudi AI– financial technology
2. CipherSense AI
3. AwaDoc – Healthcare
4. Zummit Africa – AI Consultancy
5. Verraki – Business Transformation
6. Ventures Platform – Investor
7. CapitalSage – Digital Banking
8. CANCEL.AI – Process Automation
9. SeamlessHR – Recruitment
10. AI Saturdays Lagos (AI6LG) – Community Learning
11. Helium Health- healthcare
12. 54gene - genomic analysis
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Despite the innovations and advancement in existence due to AI, it's important to note that these advancements do not come without side effects or major setbacks in a developing country like Nigeria. These ethical considerations in simple terms refer to precautionary measures that should be taken in thought, in the development of Artificial Intelligence. These considerations viz:
i. Privacy Concerns
While the innovation Artificial Intelligence have largely increased the speed at which worthwhile information are gotten online, it is pertinent to also consider the reality that the fundamental rights of citizens which ought to be inalienable are breached in the process, most commonly; the right to privacy. When personal information derived through AI (which ought to be private) are made public, especially for the identification of crimes and prosecution of criminals, then it becomes a violation to privacy, which largely stands as an ethical concern.
2. Inequality
The innovation of Artificial intelligence has largely resulted in the growth of inequality especially in organisational workforce. Through the use of application Artificial intelligence, a wide gap between technological advancement and human ability is created. Thereby, reducing job security and largely increasing the rate of lack among average skilled laborers which forms majority of the Nigeria population.
iii. Bias
Artificial intelligence is susceptible to bias as it is built by human being. The biasness of a system can be as a result from the data used to train the system or from the value attached by the algorithms which are trained on data that onlyinsight specific demographic groups or reflect on social creator and users. They are imputed by the creator in the machine learning language (ML) biases. The consequence of such bias is that a wrong judgement may be given against a group.
iv. Environmental Impact
Even when the innovation of AI has largely aided in the reduction of pollution, GreenHouse Gases and significantly increasing biodiversity. The process of development Artificial Intelligence and robotics utilizes a considerable amount of energy due to computing power which could further deteriorate the environment, as excess carbon us released into the atmosphere.
Additionally, It is important to note that these ethical considerations of AI can differ per country as societies tend to hold different perceptions to what they consider right or wrong. However, for the purpose of this article, the ethical consideration discussed above largely revolve around major considerations relating to Nigeria.
BALANCING AI INNOVATION AND ETHICAL LIABILITY
An era as the 21st century largely calls for the most appropriate application of Technology. In essence the balancing of AI innovations and ethical liability simply refer to measurable actions which can be taken so that Artificial intelligence can be advanced while mitigating the adverse effect of such advancement, such that the effect causes no significant harm. These measurable actions include:
i. Building a Human-Centric AI Framework.
In the application of Artificial Intelligence in organizations, human ability should be prioritised. In essence, the human centric approach strongly advocate that humans should be placed at the helms of decision making in organizations, other than the prioritised artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence should be applied in a way that benefits the average Nigerian and not in a way that stands as a threat to them. In achieving this, the writer recommends that organisational bodies develop rules that support the organization's ethical stance on the use of Artificial Intelligence
ii. Partnership:
For better experience of the innovations of AI while facing the most minimal ethical consequences, partnerships between private organizations/establishments and the government is encouraged. Through implementation of relevant policies in the sector by Government as well as contribution of required expertise by private individuals, this can be fully actualised. Even in situations where risks from such partnership occurs, collaborative efforts to combat the seeming outcome is perceived to be more effective.
iii. Organising AI Literacy Programmes
Through providing support to students and teachers to navigate the complexity of AI use, offering AI literacy training, and the provision of resourrces and infrastructures that facilitate learning of these AI models, AI Literacy can be achieved. The resultant effect of this is that individuals as fully aware of its pros and cons as well as making informed decisions about sharing personal data with AI systems
iv. CREATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF LAWS FOR AI REGULATION.
There is every tendency that shortcomings will be experienced in any field where there are insufficient/ inadequate laws hence, the maxim 'Ubi Jus Ubi Societa'. Sadly, such is the case in Nigeria. There are no sufficient laws guiding the application of Artificial intelligence. It's the writer's recommendation that adequate legislative provision be made to properly regulate the use of AI.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, even though artificial intelligence has come with many benefits, it raises ethical concerns that must be addressed effectively.
REFERENCES
1. Coursera Staff September 30, 2025. What is artificial intelligence? Definition, Uses and Types https://www.coursera.org/articles/what-is-artificial-intelligence
2. 222nd Session of the Executive Board, UNESCO, 1-16 October, 2025. https://www.unesco.org/en/intelligence
3. Femi Osinubi. May 28, 2025. AI in Nigeria: Opportunities, Challenges and Strategic Pathways https://www.pwc.com/ng/en/publications/ai-in-nigeria.html
4. Noah Olatoye. March 3, 2025. The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Nigeria: Current Trends and Future Outlook https://instincthub.com/blog/the-rise-of-artificial-intelligence-in-nigeria-current-trends-and-future-outlook
5. Toyin Kennie Oyinloye. July 4, 2025. Artificial Intelligence in Nigeria – 11 Top AI Companies in Nigeria https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/artificial-intelligence-nigeria-10-top-ai-companies-oyinloye-kahmf
6. G.S Anamoji Esq. 2024, July-September. Ethical And Regulatory Framework Of Artificial Intelligence(A.I) In Nigeria: The Dilemma Of Global Adaptation For Sustainable Growth. International Journal of Innovative Social Sciences & Humanities Research. 12(3): Pg 55-65. ISSN: ISSN: 2354-2926
7. D, Mike. 2024 October 4th. AI Ethical AI Development: Balancing Innovation with Responsibility. https://www.phenom.com/blog/ethical-ai-development
8. Nigeria Communication Commission. Ethical And Societal Impact Of Intelligence Artificial (AI).
9. S.G Analytics Knowledge Team. 2025 April. The Ethics of AI: Balancing Innovation with Responsibility. https://www.sganalytics.com/blog/ethics-of-ai-balancing-innovation-with-responsibility/
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