Nigeria ranks 72nd globally in 2025 AI readiness index, fourth in Africa

Nigeria placed 72nd out of 188 countries in the 2025 Government AI Readiness Index, ranking fourth in Sub-Saharan Africa behind Kenya, South Africa, and Mauritius. The annual Oxford Insights report assessed 195 governments across 69 indicators including policy capacity, infrastructure, and public sector adoption.

Nigeria scored strongly in specific pillars, placing 35th globally in Policy Capacity and 49th in Development and Diffusion. The report credited increased investment in Nigeria's domestic AI sector, launch of detailed AI policy documents, and the Nigeria AI Scaling Hub for moving the country from strategy to implementation.

On January 7, 2026, Communications Minister Dr Bosun Tijani announced a National AI Centre of Excellence at University of Jos, declaring Nigeria will not remain a passive consumer of foreign AI technologies. The centre will focus on research using Nigerian datasets rather than relying on imported models.

However, the report flagged persistent gaps including AI infrastructure constraints, limited public sector adoption, and weak foundational digital systems. Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 9th globally with an average score of 28.04, showing Nigeria's performance is strong regionally but held back by structural challenges across the continent.

The key question for Nigeria's AI future: Can the government translate strong policy design and ecosystem development into widespread adoption across public service delivery?

SOURCE: https://www.channelstv.com/2026/01/13/nigeria-ranked-72nd-on-2025-global-govt-ai-readiness-index/