Nigeria risks being sidelined in the $15.7 trillion global artificial intelligence (AI) economy unless it urgently addresses its widening digital divide, experts warned at the BusinessDay AI Summit 2025 held in Lagos.
With more than 60 million Nigerians still offline, the country faces a major barrier to tapping AI’s potential in driving economic growth and solving pressing challenges in education, healthcare, and financial services.
Frank Aigbogun, publisher of BusinessDay, cautioned that digital exclusion already costs Africa over $100 billion annually, stressing that “access to technology must not be a privilege, it is a right.”
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He warned that Nigeria’s share of the AI windfall projected for 2030 could be lost without deliberate interventions.
Stakeholders including KPMG, TechQuest STEM Academy, Digital Equity Africa, and Olaniwun Ajayi LP called for heavy investments in broadband infrastructure, AI talent development, and strong regulatory frameworks.
They also raised concerns about fairness, intellectual property, and Nigeria’s overreliance on foreign AI systems.
Panelists underscored the need for locally relevant data, affordable connectivity, and stronger governance to ensure inclusion.
They highlighted AI’s potential to transform education for the country’s 18 million out-of-school children and to improve healthcare access, but warned that risks such as bias, misinformation, and job displacement must be anticipated.
Image Credit: BusinessDay
