Nigeria has been ranked 72nd out of 188 countries in the 2025 Government AI Readiness Index, positioning it as one of the top-performing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Gatekeepers News reports that the annual index, published by Oxford Insights, assessed 195 governments across 69 indicators spanning six pillars: policy capacity, governance, AI infrastructure, public sector adoption, development and diffusion, and resilience. The ranking evaluates how prepared governments are to implement artificial intelligence in public service delivery.
Nigeria’s Performance in Africa and Globally
Within Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria ranked fourth, behind Kenya (65th), South Africa (67th), and Mauritius (71st), making it one of the continent’s strongest performers. In total, ten African countries were in the global top 100, reflecting gradual but uneven AI progress across the region.
Top 10 African Countries in the Global Ranking:
- Kenya — 65th
- South Africa — 67th
- Mauritius — 71st
- Nigeria — 72nd
- Rwanda — 75th
- Ghana — 85th
- Morocco — 87th
- Algeria — 96th
- Senegal — 97th
- Tunisia — 99th
Report Highlights on Nigeria
Oxford Insights described Nigeria as “amongst the highest ranking countries globally from the continent,” noting that recent policy actions and sectoral investment are beginning to yield results.
“Nigeria — amongst the highest ranking countries globally from the continent — just stepped into the top 50 on Development and Diffusion (49th) and performed even better in policy capacity (coming 35th globally) following increased investment in its domestic AI sector, the launch of detailed AI policy documents and a stated intention to enhance efforts for international collaboration,” the report said.
While Nigeria’s overall ranking is 72nd, its performance in specific pillars, especially Policy Capacity (35th globally) and Development and Diffusion (49th globally), reflects a growing AI ecosystem, expanding talent pool, and increasing government efforts to formalise AI policy.
The report also cited the launch of the Nigeria AI Scaling Hub, highlighting the country’s move from strategy to implementation in operationalising AI in public systems.
Strengths and Gaps
Despite improving policy and innovation indicators, Nigeria faces persistent challenges common across Sub-Saharan Africa, including:
- AI infrastructure constraints
- Limited public sector adoption
- Gaps in foundational digital and energy systems
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 9th out of nine global regions, with an average score of 28.04, showing that Nigeria’s performance is strong relative to regional peers but constrained by structural limitations.
Push for Local AI Capacity
Nigeria’s AI ambitions have received renewed political support. On January 7, 2026, during the 50th Convocation Ceremony of the University of Jos, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, announced the launch of a National AI Centre of Excellence at the university campus.
According to Tijani, the initiative reflects Nigeria’s determination “not to remain a passive consumer of artificial intelligence technologies or a rule-taker in emerging global AI governance frameworks.”
“AI is built on numbers, and Nigeria has the numbers. We are too big a country not to participate meaningfully in artificial intelligence,” he said. He added that Nigerian universities must lead research into locally relevant datasets and contextual intelligence, rather than relying solely on imported AI models trained on foreign data.
The Bigger Picture
The report presents Nigeria as a country with clear AI ambition but uneven execution. While policy design and ecosystem development are progressing, slower public sector adoption remains a critical gap.
As more African countries invest in AI strategies and innovation hubs, the ability of Nigeria to translate policy intent into widespread government use will determine its position in future global AI readiness rankings.
