Nigeria tops Africa in Global Responsible AI Index, ranks 38th worldwide

Nigeria has emerged as Africa’s highest-ranked country in the second edition of the Global Index on Responsible AI (GIRAI), ranking 38th globally with an overall score of 45.93.

The report also identifies Nigeria as a global “Bright Spot” for its approach to preparing citizens for the AI era while simultaneously protecting them from the technology’s potential harms.

Published by the Global Center on AI Governance, the index is one of the world’s most comprehensive evidence-based assessments of responsible AI governance, evaluating 138 countries across five pillars: Inclusion and Diversity, Ethics and Sustainability, Labour and Skills, Trust and Safety, and AI in Public Service.

What the report is saying

The report says Nigeria has distinguished itself by pairing AI skills development with enforceable governance measures instead of focusing solely on technology adoption.

It identifies Nigeria as one of the report’s global “Bright Spots,” stating that the country has made significant progress in expanding AI literacy while strengthening protections for children in the digital age.

• “With adopted frameworks and active initiatives spanning both AI literacy and children’s protections (and a binding legal instrument underpinning the latter), Nigeria illustrates combined efforts at both preparing young people for AI and safeguarding them from its harms,” it said.
• The report highlights Nigeria’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (2025) as one of the key policies behind the country’s performance.
• It states that the strategy calls for increased AI literacy amongst all stakeholders” and mandates a comprehensive AI skills development programme, including teacher training and broad-based capacity building.
• Researchers also singled out the Federal Government’s Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme.
• They described it as “a programme that targets skill development across demography, including youth, while establishing protection mechanisms through its Data Protection Act.”

The report further commends Nigeria’s regulatory framework for protecting children’s personal data.

• It notes that the Nigeria Data Protection Act requires parental or guardian consent before children’s personal data can be processed and “prohibits subjecting any data subject, including children, to decisions based solely on automated processing.”

Similarly, the report says the General Application and Implementation Directive (GAID) establishes enhanced safeguards for the processing of children’s personal data and other data subjects lacking legal capacity.

The Global Center on AI Governance concludes that Nigeria’s approach demonstrates how countries can simultaneously build AI capabilities while embedding legal protections into their digital ecosystems.

More insights

Beyond Nigeria’s performance, the report paints a mixed picture of responsible AI governance globally.

While governments around the world are increasingly embracing artificial intelligence, the report finds that regulation has not kept pace with adoption.

• “Responsible AI governance is expanding in Global South countries, but binding protections remain scarce,” the report said.
• The researchers note that many countries have adopted AI strategies and ethical principles, but relatively few have enacted legally enforceable safeguards capable of addressing emerging risks associated with advanced AI systems.
• It notes that risks such as algorithmic discrimination, misinformation, privacy violations, deepfakes, automated decision-making and online harms affecting children continue to outpace regulatory responses in many jurisdictions.

The report notes that Nigeria was among five African countries—alongside Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Libya and Morocco—that introduced new AI safety and security frameworks between the first and second editions of the index.

What you should know

Nigeria has been working to accelerate its digital transformation agenda by promoting artificial intelligence adoption, strengthening regulatory frameworks, and expanding access to digital skills across the country.

• Earlier this year, Nairametrics reported that Nigeria is rapidly emerging as a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, with widespread use of the technology across education, the workplace, and entrepreneurship, according to a report by Google.
• The report, titled “Our Life with AI: Helpfulness in the Hands of More People” and produced in partnership with Ipsos, highlights the growing adoption of AI tools among Nigerians and the strong optimism surrounding their potential.

The findings indicate that AI is increasingly being embraced as a tool for innovation, productivity, and entrepreneurship, particularly within Nigeria’s expanding digital economy.