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Record STMT-W661D04Advisory

Artificial Intelligence, Law, and Society: Towards a Sustainable Governance Framework in Nigeria

Report State lawSub-Saharan Africa · NGadopted

This academic journal article examines the legal, regulatory, and socio-economic challenges of artificial intelligence adoption in Nigeria. It evaluates existing statutory frameworks such as the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, the Cybercrimes Act, and the Copyright Act to determine their adequacy for governing AI. Finally, the study highlights regulatory gaps, algorithmic bias, infrastructure deficits, and employment threats, proposing comprehensive legislative and policy reforms to achieve sustainable AI governance.

Summary and content fields are drawn from the document text and are pending editorial review.

Who issued it

Kampala International UniversityAcademic · UG
Lead issuer
Legal forceAdvisory
Under whose authorityState law
Judged fromfull text

Who it governs

National governmentGeneral publicRegulatorsCompaniesResearchers and academics

Researchers, policymakers, and legal practitioners interested in understanding the legal and socio-economic landscape of artificial intelligence governance in Nigeria.

Sectors
Research and science · academic legal researchCross-sector

What the document contains

What's covered

The document covers the current developmental status of artificial intelligence across various Nigerian sectors, analyzes existing statutory laws relevant to data protection, cybercrime, and copyright, and examines specific legal and socio-economic challenges such as liability gaps, intellectual property ownership, algorithmic bias, and the digital divide.

What's missing

The text lacks explicit operational guidelines or technical standards for AI developers, nor does it contain an enacted binding governmental code of conduct or enforcement regulations.

Key takeaways
  • Nigeria currently lacks a comprehensive standalone legal framework specifically dedicated to regulating artificial intelligence.
  • Existing legislation such as the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, the Cybercrimes Act, and the Copyright Act provide partial coverage relevant to AI but present ambiguities regarding liability, automated decision-making, and non-human authorship.
  • Socio-economic challenges like the digital divide, infrastructure limitations, and algorithmic bias threaten to exacerbate inequality and unemployment in Nigeria.
  • The integration of AI across sectors such as finance, healthcare, and education requires explicit ethical guidelines and accountability mechanisms.
  • Comprehensive legislative reform and increased investment in digital literacy and infrastructure are necessary to achieve sustainable AI governance in Nigeria.
Outline
1. Introduction
2. Method
3. Analysis or Discussion
  3.1. The Concept, Development, and Use of Artificial Intelligence in Nigeria
  3.2. Legal Framework and Regulation on the Use of AI in Nigeria
    3.2.1. Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023
    3.2.2. Cybercrimes (prohibition, prevention, etc.) Act 2024 as amended
    3.2.3. Copyright Act 2022
  3.3. Legal and Socio -Economic Issues Concerning Artificial Intelligence in Nigeria
    3.3.1. Legal Issues Concerning Artificial Intelligence in Nigeria
    3.3.2. Socio-Economic Issues Concerning Artificial Intelligence in Nigeria
4. Conclusion
Issued3 December 2025
Length5,990 words · 13 pages
FormatNot recorded
Scopenational

How it scores

Pending review

Each score is backed by a quote verified against the document text. Editorial review has not yet confirmed them.

Accountability

3/5

Clear responsibility for AI outcomes

However, Nigeria has a lack of legal and regulatory clarity around AI development, deployment, and holding accountability, creating a gap within which urgent questions of data privacy, algorithmic bias, ownership of intellectual property, and liability for harm caused by these systems have been insufficiently explored

1. Introduction

screening score · 2026-10-23

Human Oversight

1/5

Humans remain in control of consequential decisions

Moreover, ethical issues surrounding AI go beyond data bias to include aspects concerning transparency, accountability, and the moral autonomy of machines.

3.3.2. Socio-Economic Issues Concerning Artificial Intelligence in Nigeria

screening score · 2026-10-23

Transparency

3/5

Openness about how AI systems work and are used

Many AI systems are created in a “black box” manner, making it hard to trace back to the reasons for a decision and subsequently hold the responsible party accountable when harm is incurred.

3.3.2. Socio-Economic Issues Concerning Artificial Intelligence in Nigeria

screening score · 2026-10-23

Impact Assessment

4/5

Required assessment of an AI system's risks/impacts before or during use

Data controllers and processors are required by section 32 to perform a data protection impact assessment if processing operations pose a significant danger to the rights and liabilities of data subjects

3.2.1. Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023

screening score · 2026-10-23

Topics

Physical AI Governancesupporting
artificial_intelligence legal_framework data_protection intellectual_property socio_economic_impact sustainable_governance