Nigerians are on the lead in the global artificial intelligence charge, according to a new report by Google and Ipsos. The report, which is the outcome of a survey by Google and the global market research and public opinion company (Ipsos), says around 88 percent of Nigerian adults use AI chatbots, a significant mark that the citizens are not just embracing the tools, but actually leading the charge globally. The survey, tagged ‘Our Life with AI: Helpfulness in the hands of more people,’ reveals that Nigerians are using AI tools for everything, from education to entrepreneurship, at a remarkable rate, showing immense optimism for the technology’s future.
The 88 percent mark, indicates a huge 18-point jump from 2024, placing Nigeria well ahead of the global average of 62 percent. Communications & Public Affairs manager for Google in West Africa, Taiwo KolaOgunlade, lauded Nigerians’ open minds for the technology. “It’s inspiring to see how Nigerians are creatively and purposefully using AI to unlock new opportunities for learning, growth, and economic empowerment. “This report doesn’t just show high adoption rates; it tells the story of a nation that is actively shaping its future with technology, using AI as a tool to accelerate progress and achieve its ambitions.
We’re committed to ensuring that AI remains a helpful and accessible tool for everyone,” Ogunlade expressed. The report noted that while the top use for AI globally has shifted to learning, Nigerians are taking it a step further, using AI as a powerful tool for personal and professional development. The survey also showed that staggering 93 percent of Nigerians use AI to learn or understand complex topics, compared to 74 percent globally. It equally indicated that 91 percent use AI to assist them with their work. In the area of entrepreneurship, it noted that 80 percent of Nigerians are using AI to explore a new business or career change — nearly double the global average of 42 percent.
The study says Nigerians have overwhelming positive feelings about AI’s role in the classroom and beyond, seeing it as a game-changer for education, as 91 percent feel AI is having a positive impact on how we learn and access information (compared to ~65 percent globally). It indicated that 95 percent of respondents believe university students and educators are likely to benefit from AI, with Nigerians showing massive excitement for an AI future. Compared to the rest of the world, Nigerians are significantly more optimistic about the potential of AI, the report says, adding that 80 percent of the citizens are even more excited about the possibilities of AI, versus just 20 percent who are more concerned. Globally, the split is much closer (53 percent excited / 46 percent concerned).
This excitement rises to 90 percent among Nigerians who use AI “a lot” in their daily lives, the report concludes. Meanwhile, the federal government has intensified efforts in commercialising research outputs to strengthen local innovation as part of measures to diversify the economy and reduce reliance on foreign technologies. The Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, Mr Kingsley Udeh, stated this last week at a Nigerian National Order of Merit, NNOM, joint academy town hall meeting held at the end of the maiden three-day National Conference on Science, Technology and Innovation Communication in Abuja.
Udeh, who was represented by the national coordinator for Strategy Implementation Task Office for Presidential Executive Order No. 5, Dr Ibiam Oguejiofo, said Nigeria possesses abundant scientific expertise that remains largely uncoordinated and underutilised. The minister lamented that decades of research activities had failed to translate into tangible economic value, noting that research outcomes were rarely transformed into market-ready products.
According to him, the country still depends heavily on foreign innovation and grants, with local researchers conducting studies whose final products are developed abroad and later imported. “We have experts across all sectors, but we are not taking advantage of what we need in our daily lives. Research results exist, but there is no coordinated system to turn them into products that benefit the economy,” he said.
Udeh said the government was developing a National Policy on Research and Innovation Commercialisation to align the demand and supply sides of innovation for the first time. He explained that the policy would enable government agencies to prioritise locally developed innovations through procurement, supported by incentives to help innovators refine products and attract private sector investments. “Government is now ready to support any innovator with a tangible product that can be deployed in the economy to ensure that such innovations are commercialised and profitable,” Udeh noted.
Also speaking, the vice chancellor of Federal University of Science and Technology, Ogoni, Rivers State, Prof. Chinedu Mmom highlighted Nigeria’s growing environmental challenges, including desertification, air and water pollution, and land degradation. Prof. Mmom said environmental pollution associated with natural resource exploitation and gas flaring had far-reaching economic consequences, adding that a significant portion of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product is affected by environmental degradation. He expressed concern that despite extensive research on environmental challenges, most findings remain on shelves and were poorly communicated to end users, particularly rural and vulnerable communities.
The VC called for improved grassroots communication and disaster preparedness, noting that lack of awareness often escalate minor incidents into major disasters. In his remarks, the president of African University of Science and Technology, AUST, Abuja, Prof. Azikiwe Onwualu, identified funding as the major challenge facing the science, technology and innovation ecosystem. Onwualu said inadequate funding had continued to limit the translation of research into innovations, goods and services, despite the presence of several agencies under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
He said progress was being made towards establishing a National Research and Innovation Fund in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. According to him, a bill to that effect has been passed by the House of Representatives and is awaiting concurrence in the Senate, while a committee under the vice president is finalising the implementation framework. He said the proposed fund, to be overseen by the National Research and Innovation Council, would enable researchers and innovators access financing to move ideas from concept to commercial reality.
