The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has identified Nigeria as one of Africa’s leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) economies, highlighting the country’s strong position to harness the transformative potential of emerging technologies.
The recognition was contained in the IMF’s latest report titled “Unlocking the Potential: AI in Sub-Saharan Africa,” which evaluates the readiness, infrastructure, and economic potential of AI adoption across the region.
Reacting to the development, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, described the acknowledgement as an encouraging validation of the federal government’s strategic investments in digital policy, talent, and technology infrastructure.
“The International Monetary Fund’s recognition of Nigeria as one of Africa’s leading AI economies is an encouraging affirmation of the progress we are making to position our country for the opportunities of the AI era. Coming shortly after Nigeria’s strong performance in the Global Index on Responsible AI (GIRAI) and the Oxford Government AI Readiness Index, it reinforces our belief that deliberate investments in policy, talent, and innovation can create the foundations for long-term economic transformation,” Dr. Tijani stated.
While acknowledging Nigeria’s leadership role, the IMF report noted that AI could boost Sub-Saharan Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) by up to 4 percent over the next decade. However, achieving these gains will depend heavily on addressing key structural bottlenecks.
Without sustained investments in fundamental infrastructure, the IMF warned that AI’s impact could be limited to just 0.2 percent growth over the same period. To bridge this gap, the report stressed the urgent need for targeted improvements in expanding stable power and energy supply to support data centers, extending high-speed broadband connectivity across urban and rural areas, and upskilling the workforce in digital skills to adopt, build, and maintain complex AI systems.
Highlighting Nigeria’s proactive measures, Dr. Tijani emphasized that the government has spent the past two years building a robust ecosystem to ensure the country not only consumes AI solutions but actively develops and scales them locally.
Dr. Tijani acknowledged that while international benchmarks show Nigeria is moving in the right direction, significant work remains to fully democratize digital access and AI capabilities.
The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to deepening collaborations with private sector leaders, academic institutions, development partners, and local tech innovators. The goal remains focused on eliminating adoption barriers, expanding digital infrastructure, and securing Nigeria’s position as a globally competitive, inclusive, and responsible AI hub.