Nigeria has placed artificial intelligence sovereignty at the centre of its digital transformation agenda as the second edition of GITEX Nigeria opened in Abuja. The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, urged the country to reduce excessive dependence on AI systems developed and controlled outside Nigeria, warning that such dependence could pose risks to the nation’s economy, citizens and national security.
Speaking at the GITEX Nigeria 2026 Government Leadership and AI Summit, Inuwa said AI sovereignty should go beyond the development of AI applications to encompass control of the entire technology ecosystem. He identified connectivity, computing capacity, data centres, cloud infrastructure, algorithms and data governance as critical components of Nigeria’s ability to achieve technological self determination.
The NITDA chief also stressed the importance of Nigerian ownership and control of data and AI technologies, particularly as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into sensitive sectors such as finance, healthcare and education. He said Nigeria must know who controls the AI systems deployed in these sectors, where they are developed and whether they operate under Nigerian laws, noting that inadequate control could expose the country to external manipulation and influence.
The Federal Government is therefore linking its AI ambitions to broader investments in digital infrastructure, skills and data sovereignty. Among the initiatives highlighted are Project BRIDGE, which targets about 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic infrastructure, the National Digital Cloud Policy and the 3 Million Technical Talent programme. The government says these measures are intended to help Nigeria move from being primarily a consumer of foreign technology to becoming a producer and exporter of digital technologies and AI solutions.