By There are policy issues if not address that are likely to kill the adoption artificial intelligence in Nigeria.
“Without public trust, AI adoption will be stalled,” said the Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr Kashifu Inuwa, stating: “Without accountability, innovation will not scale sustainably, and without transparency, citizens will lose confidence in the systems designed to serve them.”
According to him, the nation to pivot from being mere consumers of global technology to becoming active creators of it.
Inuwa who spoke at the AI Summit Nigeria 2026 hosted by Microsoft in Abuja, with the theme, “From Policy to Progress: Accelerating Responsible AI Adoption for Nigeria’s Digital Decade,” said that the country’s digital future relies heavily on responsible AI adoption, digital sovereignty, and homegrown innovation.
The NITDA boss warned that without a firm commitment to accountability and transparency, widespread innovation simply cannot scale.
Inuwa who was represented by the NITDA’s Acting Director of Regulation and Compliance, Mr Emmanuel Edet, described AI as a transformative force capable of revolutionising every economic sector.
He said further that trust serves as the bedrock for any sustainable AI rollout, saying, “We must become creators of intelligence rooted in our realities and responsive to our aspirations.”
He added: “We must build local talent, strengthen research ecosystems and create an enabling environment where Nigerian and African solutions can thrive.” He added that Africa needs to play a defining role in shaping the global future of AI, rather than just adapting to technologies built elsewhere.
Microsoft’s Director of Government Affairs for West Africa, Nonye Ujam, also spoke at the event, praising Nigeria’s proactive steps in AI governance, particularly through the National AI Strategy and ongoing regulatory reforms.
She challenged attendees to move past the paperwork and focus on executing AI solutions that yield measurable benefits for everyday citizens, businesses, and government operations.
Ujam pointed out that truly effective AI adoption hinges on robust governance frameworks, solid infrastructure, and institutional capacity, all while anchoring new innovations to the core principles of fairness, security, transparency, and accountability.
