AI regulation in Nigeria (2026)

Bloomberg reported that the National Assembly was advancing the National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill, which would grant NITDA 'super-regulator' powers to classify AI systems by risk level, mandate algorithmic transparency, require annual impact assessments for high-stakes AI in finance and public administration, and levy fines of up to NGN 10 million or 2% of annual Nigerian revenue for non-compliance — potentially making Nigeria the first African country with a fully enforceable AI law.

A Bill to Regulate the Development, Deployment, and Use of Artificial Intelligence in Nigeria was introduced in the National Assembly, consolidating HB 942 (2023) and HB 601 into a single comprehensive AI Act with risk-based obligations, a licensing regime, and a new national AI oversight commission — marking Nigeria's most advanced legislative step toward a dedicated AI law.

NITDA's National Centre for AI and Robotics published an updated National AI Strategy, refining the governance architecture, sector-specific KPIs, and implementation timelines originally set in the August 2024 version — consolidating Nigeria's policy foundation ahead of pending legislation.

NITDA published its AI Transformation Roadmap detailing operational steps to execute the National AI Strategy across infrastructure buildout, workforce upskilling, and sector-level AI adoption — translating high-level strategy into agency-level deliverables with defined timelines.

The House of Representatives advanced to second reading a Bill to establish the National Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Robotic Studies Regulation Commission — the proposed central body responsible for AI licensing, conformity assessments, standards-setting, and enforcement in Nigeria.

The NBA published sector-specific guidelines governing lawyer use of AI tools in Nigeria, addressing professional responsibility, client confidentiality, accuracy obligations, and disclosure duties — the first formal professional-body AI guidance issued in any Nigerian regulated sector.

The Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and NITDA released Nigeria's inaugural National AI Strategy, establishing five pillars — infrastructure, ecosystem development, sector adoption, responsible AI, and governance — with a 2024–2030 roadmap targeting 100,000 AI professionals upskilled and positioning Nigeria as Africa's AI hub.

The Control of Usage of Artificial Intelligence Technology in Nigeria Bill (HB 942) received its first reading — Nigeria's first standalone legislative proposal for AI, requiring registration of AI systems, risk classification, mandatory auditing, and the creation of a National AI Oversight Council.

President Tinubu signed the NDPA, elevating data protection from a regulatory instrument to primary statute; it creates the independent Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), explicitly requires Data Protection Impact Assessments before deploying AI for consequential decisions, and grants individuals the right to object to solely automated profiling — making it the primary legal control on AI data processing.

NITDA formally commissioned NCAIR as Nigeria's first government-backed AI research facility, mandated to drive R&D in AI, robotics, drones, and IoT — establishing the institutional nucleus that would later coordinate the National AI Strategy and AI Research Grant Scheme.

NITDA issued the NDPR under the NITDA Act 2007 — Nigeria's first comprehensive personal data protection framework. Though not AI-specific, it became the foundational legal instrument for all data-driven and algorithmic processing in Nigeria for four years, until superseded by the NDPA 2023.