In August 2023, Nigeria's Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, launched a public call for drafting a National AI Strategy. The government is adopting an expanded co-creation approach, involving top AI researchers of Nigerian descent globally in the process. This strategy builds on existing work by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and aligns with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy 2020-2030, which identifies AI as a key emerging technology.
The Nigerian government has made efforts to involve the public in developing the National AI Policy. In August 2022, NITDA issued an open call for contributors and volunteer experts to help develop Nigeria's national AI policy. In November 2020, the government launched the country's first Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Centre to serve as a digital laboratory for advancing skills development and innovation in emerging technologies, with an emphasis on AI and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Nigeria is yet to enact a comprehensive data protection law. Currently, there is a National Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) issued by NITDA, which applies to all transactions intended for the processing of personal data. A Data Protection Bill has been drafted and is under consideration. The NDPR includes provisions for algorithmic transparency, requiring data controllers to explain the existence of automated decision-making and the logic involved.
Nigeria faces challenges in implementing AI technologies, particularly in areas such as biometric identification and facial recognition. The use of biometric systems in recent elections has raised concerns, with reports of voter registrations being invalidated due to system issues. This has led to worries about potential discrimination and limitations on citizens' political rights.
Nigeria has shown increasing engagement with international AI initiatives. The country participated in the 2023 AI Safety Summit and endorsed the Bletchley Declaration. Nigeria has also endorsed the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI and participates in the African Forum for Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence (AFEGAI). In 2023, Nigeria voted in favor of a UN resolution on autonomous weapons systems.
Nigeria is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and has ratified the African Charter on Human and People's Rights. However, according to Freedom House 2023, Nigeria is rated as "partly free" with a score of 43/100. This presents challenges for ensuring ethical AI development and deployment that respects human rights.
This country report is our interpretation and summary of the "CAIDP Artificial Intelligence & Democratic Values Index 2023". The full report can be found here - https://www.caidp.org/reports/aidv-2023/