Nigeria lacks AI law despite UBA, Zenith chatbots, 13 banks using AI - experts warn
Experts warned at a BPSR-organized forum this Thursday that Nigeria still lacks binding AI governance law despite AI being deeply embedded across key sectors. UBA launched its Leo chatbot in 2018, followed by Zenith Bank's Ziva in 2021, with 13 deposit money banks deploying AI-powered chatbots by February 2024. Beyond finance, precision farming tools are emerging in agriculture, teaching hospitals use AI diagnostics, and online learning platforms integrate AI.
This gap matters because while the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 covers personal data in AI, its operational rules only took effect in September 2025 and enforcement remains weak. AI systems operate under fragmented regulation - CBN, NCC, and NITDA each oversee AI independently - with no dedicated framework for risks like algorithmic bias (flagged by NDIC in 2024), fraud, or disinformation. Two AI bills from 2021 and 2023 never completed the legislative process.
However, Nigeria's AI readiness improved to 72nd globally in 2025 (up from 103rd in 2023), and the country signed the 2023 Bletchley Declaration on AI safety. Experts at the forum recommended eight actions: passing a dedicated AI Act covering risk classification and liability, creating an independent National AI Regulatory Authority with enforcement powers, requiring federal agencies to publish model cards and audit logs, expanding the NDPC's mandate to cover AI profiling, formalizing inter-agency cooperation via MoUs, enabling civil society monitoring, building a national AI skills strategy, and mandating AI governance frameworks for both government and private institutions.