Nigeria has been ranked 72nd out of 188 countries in the 2025 Government AI Readiness Index, placing it among the top-performing nations in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The annual index, published by Oxford Insights, assessed governments using 69 indicators across six pillars: policy capacity, governance, AI infrastructure, public sector adoption, development and diffusion, and resilience.
- Global Rank: 72nd
- Sub-Saharan Africa Rank: 4th (behind Kenya, South Africa, and Mauritius)
- Top 10 African Countries in Global Top 100:
This makes Nigeria one of the continent’s strongest performers, despite regional structural challenges.
What the Report Says About Nigeria
Oxford Insights highlighted Nigeria’s progress:
- Ranked 35th globally in Policy Capacity due to new AI policy documents and international collaboration.
- Ranked 49th globally in Development and Diffusion, reflecting growth in the domestic AI ecosystem and talent pool.
- Launch of the Nigeria AI Scaling Hub marked a shift from strategy to implementation, positioning Nigeria among governments beginning to operationalise AI in public systems.
Strengths and Gaps
Strengths:
- Strong policy frameworks and innovation indicators
- Expanding AI ecosystem and talent pool
- Political backing for AI initiatives
Gaps:
- Weak AI infrastructure
- Limited public sector adoption
- Foundational digital and energy system constraints
Sub-Saharan Africa overall ranks 9th out of nine global regions, with an average score of 28.04, showing Nigeria’s relative strength but also shared regional limitations.
Nigeria’s Push for Local AI Capacity
On January 7, 2026, at the University of Jos 50th Convocation, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Dr Bosun Tijani announced the launch of a National AI Centre of Excellence.
He stressed Nigeria’s determination “not to remain a passive consumer of artificial intelligence technologies or a rule-taker in emerging global AI governance frameworks.”
Tijani emphasized that Nigerian universities must lead research into locally relevant datasets and contextual intelligence, rather than relying solely on imported AI models.
Nigeria’s AI readiness reflects clear ambition but uneven execution. While policy design and ecosystem development are advancing, slower public sector adoption remains a critical gap.
The report suggests that Nigeria’s ability to translate policy intent into widespread government use will determine whether it climbs higher in future rankings.
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