Nigeria Eyes African Leadership in Ethical AI as UNESCO Unveils Readiness Report

By: Michael Mike

Nigeria on Monday took a major step towards positioning itself as a continental leader in the governance of artificial intelligence (AI), as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) unveiled the country’s Artificial Intelligence Readiness Assessment (RAM) Report and urged stakeholders to establish robust guardrails for the emerging technology.

The report, launched in Abuja, provides the first comprehensive assessment of Nigeria’s preparedness to develop, deploy and regulate AI technologies in an ethical, inclusive and human-centred manner.

Speaking at the unveiling, Officer-in-Charge of UNESCO’s Abuja Office, Dimitri Sanga, described AI as the most transformative technology of the modern era and warned that its unprecedented capabilities also posed significant challenges that require deliberate governance frameworks.

According to him, AI has become deeply embedded in virtually every aspect of human existence, reshaping governance, education, security, communication, innovation and economic activities.

“The world is witnessing the transformative impact of artificial intelligence in all spheres of our civilisation. For the first time, humanity is said to have created a tool that could challenge its own existence if not effectively regulated,” Sanga said.

He noted that while AI presents enormous opportunities for development, its deployment must remain anchored on human rights, fairness, inclusion and sustainability.

Sanga said the assessment report should not be viewed as an end in itself but as a roadmap for informed policy decisions and coordinated actions aimed at ensuring Nigeria develops a responsible and ethical AI ecosystem.

He disclosed that UNESCO, with support from the European Union, had been working with Nigeria since 2024 to strengthen digital infrastructure, policies and institutions required for ethical AI development across five critical dimensions.

The UNESCO official also revealed that the organisation had already commenced capacity-building programmes, training more than 400 civil servants across six Nigerian states using AI literacy modules designed to enhance public sector understanding of emerging technologies.

He commended Nigeria for demonstrating leadership in incorporating UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence into its national digital transformation agenda.

“With the support of relevant ministries, departments and agencies, I am confident that this report will strengthen Nigeria’s leadership role in leveraging ethical AI for development in Africa,” he said.

The assessment comes at a time when governments across the world are racing to harness artificial intelligence for economic growth and public service delivery while simultaneously grappling with concerns over privacy, misinformation, job displacement, algorithmic bias and the potential misuse of advanced technologies.

In November 2021, UNESCO’s 193 member states unanimously adopted the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, the world’s first global normative framework designed to ensure that AI technologies are developed and deployed in ways that are human-centred, rights-based and sustainable.

Nigeria’s readiness assessment is expected to serve as a diagnostic tool to guide policymakers in building governance structures, strengthening research and innovation capacities, improving AI education and creating safeguards that would enable the country to harness the benefits of artificial intelligence while minimising associated risks.

Stakeholders at the event agreed that the successful implementation of the report’s recommendations could position Nigeria not only as one of Africa’s leading digital economies but also as a reference point for responsible AI governance on the continent.

Nigeria Eyes African Leadership in Ethical AI as UNESCO Unveils Readiness Report