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Recently, conversations about artificial intelligence and technology spilt over social media when DeepSeek, a Chinese startup, unveiled an artificial intelligence model similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. The creators of DeepSeek-R1, the intelligence model, claimed it was developed with fewer millions of dollars compared to the multibillion-dollar AI budgets enjoyed by US tech giants. Before now, despite being founded in 2023, DeepSeek was a little less known in Nigeria. However, as consumers of technological advancements around the world, Nigerians engaged in the conversations too.
It didn’t take long for people to start asking questions about the role Nigeria plays in technological advancements. As a country, despite being home to several tech unicorns like Flutterwave, Chipper Cash, Moniepoint and others, the country cannot boast of global technological advancements like artificial intelligence. It is not a mystery. The country’s systemic failures make it difficult for innovation to thrive, leaving many of its brightest minds either struggling within or seeking opportunities abroad. There are many areas in the country disenabling young people from innovating, despite covering 70% of the country’s population.
Education
One of the most glaring issues is the state of education. In countries like China and the United States, undergraduates are actively engaged in research, contributing to groundbreaking innovations while still in school. DeepSeek, for example, benefitted from an ecosystem where students and researchers collaborate with companies on real-world problems. Meanwhile, in Nigeria, the public university system is designed to churn out graduates who have memorised theories rather than applied them. Students still read research from the ’60s, detached from current global technological advancements, and lack the hands-on experience required to compete internationally. They sit in stuffy classrooms with no chairs, and it is routine for the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to halt academic activities for months, sometimes years, setting students back and stalling progress.
Infrastructure
For artificial intelligence and other technology-driven industries to thrive, basic infrastructure like reliable internet access, constant electricity, and a supportive policy framework are essential. Nigeria fails on all three fronts. Internet access is expensive, not monetarily but in actual access with many areas still lacking broadband penetration. Electricity remains erratic and expensive, with businesses and people relying on generators and inverters to sustain operations. Running a tech startup under such conditions is difficult and nearly impossible. Without a stable power supply, data centres cannot function efficiently, and high-performance computing, which is critical for AI training, becomes a luxury. I work from Osogbo and sometimes while working in a co-working space, the operators intermittently put on the generators to save the cost of fuel.
Lack of governmental support
There is little to no investment in high-level research and development from the government, and tech policies often lack foresight. Last year, the minister for communications, innovation and digital economy, Bosun Tijani hammered on AI innovation and even organised a 4-day National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (NAIS) Workshop designed to “formulate a strategy focused on addressing the needs of Nigerian citizens and communities,” but, like other strategies, there are no enabling policies to be fruitful.
In an essay, Sultan Quadri and Ryan Uche-tasie said, “While the strategy highlights promising initiatives like the “Three Million Tech Talent” (3MTT) program, it lacks actionable details on funding and implementation. In 2022 alone, over 20,000 Nigerian tech professionals emigrated, according to LinkedIn data. This brain drain undermines efforts to build a robust domestic talent pipeline. Additionally, the 2023 Data Protection Act, though a step forward, fails to address critical issues like algorithmic transparency and bias mitigation, which are essential for ethical AI governance.”
And this is what leads to the next reason.
The talent drain
This hostile environment has led to a massive talent drain. The UK’s Global Talent Visa, among other migration schemes, has become an escape route for Nigeria’s best and brightest in tech. Skilled engineers, researchers, and developers leave in droves, not because they do not want to build in Nigeria, but because they see no future in a country that does not invest in them. Countries that welcome these talents provide them with better research opportunities, funding, and an enabling environment—the same elements Nigeria refuses to prioritise. The irony is that while Nigeria moans about being left out of global technological discussions, it continues to export the very minds that could change its reality.
How can Nigeria be part of AI conversations?
Sultan and Ryan suggested five actionable recommendations for Nigeria which are: Building foundational infrastructure; developing a cohesive talent pipeline; leveraging data for growth; strengthening digital governance and complementing private-sector innovation.
Nigeria cannot continue to aspire for global relevance in technology while failing to address its fundamental problems. Before engaging in conversations about AI dominance, the country must first create an environment where its people can think, create, and innovate without unnecessary obstacles. The United States did not become a leader in artificial intelligence overnight; it first ensured that its infrastructure like electricity, transportation or housing was stable. Creativity and innovation thrive in enabling environments, not in places where people spend hours queuing for fuel or worrying about power outages.
Universities must be restructured to encourage research and innovation. Reliable electricity and affordable internet access should be treated as urgent national issues, not luxuries. Only then will Nigeria be ready to take its place in the global technological space. Despite the challenges, Nigerians are still building within the country, even on a small scale like Azeez Saheed’s YarnGPT, a Nigerian-accented text-to-speech AI and others.
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Feature Image by Cut in The Moment for Pexels
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