There’s been a lot of talk lately in the past few decades on whether Nigeria is really the Giant of Africa . Population, yes, nobody’s arguing that. Everything else — the economy, the naira, the general state of things — people aren’t so sure anymore. But in building AI the right way and not just the fast way, Nigeria just proved it still leads the continent. We no dey carry last!
The 2026 Global Index on Responsible AI (GIRAI), published by the Global Center on AI Governance, assessed 135 countries and territories on how well they’re building the policies and safeguards to make sure AI is developed responsibly. Nigeria came out 38th globally, 1st in Africa; ahead of Egypt, ahead of Kenya, ahead of every other country on the continent.
Two years ago, in the index’s first edition, Nigeria was 80th, with a score of just 7.21 out of 100. This year, that score is 45.93, and it secured the country a jump of 42 places in two years. We went from near the bottom of the pile to the global middle, and did it fast.
To put this in perspective: the average score across Africa was 21.79. Nigeria’s 45.93 is more than double that. Nigeria did not just edge past other African countries; it actually led comfortably.
GIRAI doesn’t hand out one number and call it a day, either. It scores countries across five pillars, and Nigeria’s spread tells its own story.
- Trust and Safety was the strongest, at 63.45 — driven largely by data protection policy, especially around safeguarding children’s data.
- Inclusion and Diversity came in at 52.06
- Ethics and Sustainability at 49.63
- Labour and Skills at 40.85.
- AI Use in Public Service was the one soft spot, at 23.65, meaning there’s still ground to cover, even in a good year.
That combination of skills development and real legal protection is part of why Nigeria was named a global Bright Spot in the report. Not an African Bright Spot; a global one, out of all 135 countries assessed. GIRAI pointed specifically to the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (NAIS), the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, and the Nigeria Data Protection Act as the machinery behind it, training people to use AI, while building the legal guardrails to protect them from its risks at the same time.
Major Highlights
- Nigeria: 1st in Africa, 38th globally, out of 135 countries and territories
- Score: 45.93/100, up from 7.21 in 2024; a 42-place climb in two years
- More than 2x Africa’s regional average (21.79)
- Ahead of Egypt (2nd, 41.30, 48th globally) and Kenya (3rd, 50th globally)
- Named a global Bright Spot: one of 135 countries singled out, not just in Africa
- Strongest pillar: Trust and Safety (63.45)
- Other pillars: Inclusion and Diversity (52.06), Ethics and Sustainability (49.63), Labour and Skills (40.85)
- Weakest pillar: AI Use in Public Service (23.65)
- Backed by the NAIS, 3MTT programme, and Nigeria Data Protection Act
Kini Big Deal?
Rankings like this can read as one-off flattery: a good headline for a government to wave around, then forgotten in a news cycle. This one isn’t that, and here’s why.
It’s the second global index in six months to point in the same direction. Back in January, the Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index showed Nigeria climb 31 places, from 103rd to 72nd globally. Two independent assessments, run by two different bodies, using two different methodologies, both landed on the conclusion that Nigeria is moving, and moving fast, on how it governs AI. When one index says you’re improving, that’s a data point, but when two say it, six months apart, that’s a trend that matters beyond bragging rights.
Governance scores like these are part of the risk calculus for investors deciding where to put money into Africa’s AI ecosystem; a country with real data protection law and a documented AI strategy looks less like a gamble. For other African governments watching from behind, Nigeria’s climb from 80th to 38th in two years is proof that the ground can be covered quickly, if the political will and the programmes are actually there. And for Nigerians reading this at home, it’s a rare piece of good news in the middle of the “we’ve lost our way” conversation — measurable, external, independently verified proof that at least one part of the machine is working.
None of that erases the gaps. AI Use in Public Service scoring the lowest of the five pillars is a real number that means the government’s own AI adoption in service delivery still lags behind its policy-writing. That’s worth watching in the next edition of this index.
But taken together — the climb, the score, the Bright Spot recognition, and a second index independently confirming the trend — this is Nigeria doing something it doesn’t always get credit for: leading the continent on the actual substance of a hard problem, not just the size of its population or its market. The giant’s still standing. This time, on paper, with two different reports to prove it.
