To experience the robust nature of artificial intelligence (AI) in Nigeria, governments at all levels have been advised to deploy the technology across all sectors of the economy.
This advice was given by a Senior Product Designer, Oluwafemi Adelekan, specialising in AI-powered design solutions.
Adelekan’s stance is that much may not be realised from AI if deployed in a silo, saying Nigeria can benefit a lot by applying AI in sectors where automation can make things more efficient.
For instance, he said in healthcare, AI can support early diagnostics, remote consultations, and even treatment suggestions, saying this can help reduce the pressure on medical professionals and reach patients in rural areas.
Speaking with The Guardian, he said in agriculture, AI can be used for detecting crop diseases, predicting weather, and guiding irrigation, helping farmers save time and reduce waste. He stressed that in finance, it supports safer transactions, credit scoring for people without traditional histories, and fraud detection.
“AI can also enhance education with personalized learning and help government services run more smoothly through automation. What matters most is building AI solutions that understand the local context and the people who will use them,” he stated.
Adelekan noted that the AI space in Nigeria is still in its early stages, but there’s a lot of energy and curiosity around it. He said more startups are exploring AI in areas like finance, health, and agriculture.
While Nigeria is at the level of infrastructure or maturity as some other regions, he said the potential is massive, saying what is needed now is more collaboration between designers, engineers, researchers, and local businesses to turn AI into everyday useful tools that solve real Nigerian problems.
Saying that the fear of AI taking peoples’ jobs is valid, especially in places where job security is already unstable, “But I believe AI is more likely to change jobs than completely take them. It’ll automate repetitive tasks, yes, but it also opens up new roles and industries we’re just beginning to understand. The key is making sure people are equipped with the skills to work alongside AI, not be displaced by it.”
On AI fueling deepfakes, among other negative concerns, the AI expert said, “We’re exposed. Even if the tech isn’t being developed locally, we’re still consuming content and using platforms built with it. In places where digital literacy is low, deepfakes and misinformation are even more dangerous because people might not have the tools or awareness to question what they’re seeing. Education, media responsibility, and tech safeguards are important.”
Speaking on how to ensure data privacy and security in AI systems, Adelekan said that it starts with policy, saying Nigeria needed clear rules around what data can be collected, how it’s stored, and who gets access.
According to him, it also comes down to the mindset of the people building the systems. “Are we prioritising consent? Are we anonymising user data properly? These aren’t just technical questions, they’re ethical ones. We need more conversations around this in our tech community,” he stated.
On how AI solutions can be tailored to address specific local problems in Nigeria such as financial inclusion, and crop disease detection among others, Adelekan submitted that the key is localisation.
He said Nigeria needed to design for the context people live in, meaning that building tools that speak local languages, work offline when needed, and are simple enough for non-tech users to understand.
The AI expert stressed that regulation will be key to maximizing the benefit of AI in Nigeria and Africa, noting that without clear guidelines, the region risks misuse of people’s data, bias in algorithms, and harm that’s hard to reverse.
“But regulation needs to be balanced. It should protect people without stifling innovation. We need frameworks that are locally relevant and flexible enough to evolve with the tech,” he submitted.
