Nigeria has intensified calls for greater collaboration among African countries to build the continent’s capacity in artificial intelligence (AI), warning that failure to act collectively could leave Africa dependent on foreign technologies in a rapidly evolving global digital economy.
The appeal was made by the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Abdullahi, during an interview at GITEX Africa in Marrakech, Morocco. He stressed the urgency of developing local infrastructure and expertise to support AI growth across Africa. According to him, the continent risks missing out on the benefits of AI if it does not invest in its own cloud and computing systems.
“Africa risks remaining dependent on foreign technology platforms if it fails to build its own cloud and compute capacity,” Abdullahi said.
He noted that while Africa accounts for between 15 and 19 per cent of the global population, it contributes only a small share of global computing capacity, an imbalance that could deepen digital inequality if not addressed.
Abdullahi emphasised that AI development depends heavily on access to high-performance computing infrastructure, data systems, and skilled talent, all of which remain limited across many parts of the continent. He warned that Africa must avoid repeating past patterns seen during earlier industrial revolutions, where it primarily supplied raw materials without building strong domestic industries.
“We must not repeat the mistakes of previous industrial revolutions,” he said, adding that Africa needs to move beyond being a consumer of imported technologies to becoming a producer and innovator.
As part of the solution, Nigeria is advocating for a coordinated continental approach, similar to Europe’s GAIA-X initiative, which focuses on data sovereignty and shared digital infrastructure. Abdullahi said such a model could help African countries pool resources, align policies, and create a unified framework for AI development.
Nigeria is already taking steps at the national level through initiatives such as its National Sovereign Cloud project, which aims to lay the foundation for local data hosting and computing capabilities.
The push for collaboration comes amid growing recognition of the structural challenges facing AI adoption in Africa. Experts have pointed to limited infrastructure, fragmented policies, and inadequate investment as key barriers to scaling AI solutions across the continent.
Recent developments also show increasing momentum in Nigeria’s AI framework, including investments in data centres and large-scale training programmes to build a skilled workforce. However, analysts caution that without a reliable power supply and coordinated regional strategies, such efforts may fall short of their full potential.
- Consider Reading: Challenges of AI Adoption in Africa: Power, Data, and Policy
Nigeria’s call aligns with broader continental and global discussions on digital sovereignty and inclusive technological development. Policymakers and stakeholders are increasingly emphasising the need for African-led solutions that reflect local realities while enabling participation in the global AI economy.
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