Mr Tijani acknowledged that Nigeria’s rise by 42 locations to thirty eighth globally and first in Africa displays the deliberate efforts being made to construct an AI ecosystem that’s inclusive, accountable, and aligned with the nation’s improvement priorities.
Nigeria has emerged as Africa’s highest-ranked nation within the 2026 World Index on Accountable AI (GIRAI), inserting thirty eighth out of 135 nations. The nation amassed an general rating of 45.93 out of 100 to achieve this rating.
The report, printed by the World Middle on AI Governance, assessed nations on how successfully they’re constructing the frameworks, establishments, and safeguards required to make sure synthetic intelligence is developed and deployed responsibly.
The evaluation covers 5 dimensions: inclusion and variety, ethics and sustainability, labour and abilities, belief and security, and AI use in public service. Norway topped the 2026 World Index on Accountable AI with a rating of 74.20, adopted by Italy (72.71) and Eire (71.39).
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Authorities Response
Reacting to the rating, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economic system, Bosun Tijani, described Nigeria’s emergence as an affirmation of the nation’s perception within the adoption of accountable AI. He reiterated that Africa shouldn’t solely take part within the synthetic intelligence revolution but in addition assist form how expertise is ruled and deployed globally.
“Nigeria’s emergence because the main African nation in 2026 @GlobalIndexRAI is a crucial affirmation of our perception that Africa should not solely take part within the AI revolution but in addition assist form how these applied sciences are ruled and deployed globally. Transferring up 42 locations to rank thirty eighth globally and first in Africa displays the deliberate work being carried out to construct an AI ecosystem that’s inclusive, accountable and aligned with our improvement priorities,” the minister mentioned.
He additionally welcomed Nigeria’s recognition as a world ‘Shiny Spot’ for advancing AI literacy, noting that initiatives such because the Nationwide Synthetic Intelligence Technique (NAIS) and the three Million Technical Expertise (3MTT) programme had obtained worldwide recognition.
Based on the minister, the federal government will proceed investing in digital infrastructure, expertise improvement, and AI governance frameworks to make sure synthetic intelligence delivers worth for Nigerians. He added that the federal government would additionally assist the imaginative and prescient of constructing a $1 trillion financial system pushed by innovation, productiveness, and inclusive development, consistent with President @officialABAT’s imaginative and prescient.
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Nigeria’s AI Rating
Nigeria’s general rating of 45.93 locations it properly above Africa’s regional common of 21.79. South Africa ranked second in Africa (29.68) and 77th globally, adopted by Libya (29.24), Zambia (29.12), Gambia (28.19), and Mauritius (26.29).
Nigeria’s efficiency throughout the 5 dimensions confirmed its strongest scores in:
- Belief and Security (63.45)
- Inclusion and Variety (52.06)
- Ethics and Sustainability (49.63)
- Labour and Abilities (40.85)
The nation recorded its weakest rating in AI Use in Public Service (23.65). Extra metrics included an AI Coverage rating of 51.18, a Civil Society Engagement rating of 26.94, and an Enabling Situations rating of 41.76.
The report highlighted Nigeria as a ‘Shiny Spot’ for combining AI abilities improvement with protections for youngsters. It praised the Nationwide Synthetic Intelligence Technique 2025, which promotes AI literacy by way of the 3MTT programme. It additionally acknowledged the Nigeria Knowledge Safety Act and the Basic Software and Implementation Directive (GAID) 2025, which offer safeguards for youngsters’s private knowledge and prohibit choices based mostly solely on automated processing.
“With kids’s rights receiving restricted precedence within the African area, Nigeria is likely one of the few African nations that has tried to shut the hole between abilities improvement and AI hurt protections for youngsters,” the report acknowledged.
