ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN NIGERIA: LEGAL AND ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR A DEVELOPING DIGITAL STATE

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming governance structures, economic systems, and regulatory environments across the Global South. In Nigeria, the accelerated adoption of AI technologies, driven by digitalisation initiatives and the expansion of data ecosystems, has generated significant legal and ethical challenges that existing regulatory frameworks are insufficiently equipped to address. This article provides a doctrinal, comparative, and practice-oriented analysis of the legal and ethical implications of AI deployment in Nigeria, with particular focus on issues relating to data protection, privacy, algorithmic bias, discrimination, accountability, and regulatory oversight.

Using relevant legal frameworks as analytical anchors, the study identifies substantial governance gaps arising from fragmented legislation, weak institutional enforcement capacity, inadequate regulatory coordination, and the absence of comprehensive AI-specific legislation. The article further examines comparative regulatory models from other jurisdictions in order to highlight best practices that may inform Nigeria’s evolving AI governance structure.

The study proposes the enactment of a dedicated AI Governance Act and recommends the establishment of an independent AI regulatory authority tasked with overseeing the development, deployment, and ethical use of AI technologies in Nigeria. Additional recommendations include the formulation of ethical guidelines for AI deployment, stronger data governance mechanisms, and enhanced institutional capacity for monitoring and enforcement.

The article concludes that Nigeria’s AI development trajectory must be guided by human-centred, ethical, transparent, and future-oriented regulatory principles capable of promoting responsible innovation while safeguarding fundamental rights and ensuring sustainable digital development.