By Solo Tor
A digital economy refers to economic activities involving the use of information technology in the creation, marketing, or consumption of goods and services. Nigeria’s digital economy is growing rapidly fueled by increased internet access, fintech innovation, and a youthful, tech-savvy population.
According to Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Nigeria’s digital economy revenues have been steadily increasing with projections to reach $18.30 billion by 2026. The country’s digital economy reportedly currently contributes 14.3% to Nigeria’s GDP, highlighting its growing importance.
The government has developed a National Digital Economic Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) to guide the country’s digital transformation. And subsequently Nigeria launched the draft of its National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy (NITDA). It aims to establish the country as global leader in AI, fostering sustainable development through responsible innovation and collaboration. Nigeria’s ambition to lead in AI hinges on developing a solid infrastructure foundation and enhanced computing capacity.
This pillar emphasizes investing in AI-specific hardware and software, particularly through domestic solutions to reduce reliance on foreign technology. It also stresses on developing frameworks to ensure AI systems are ethical, transparent, and aligned with societal values. This includes establishing a National AI Ethics Commission and implementing ethical principles for AI development.
In a bid to accelerate AI development, productivity, and economic growth across sectors, the country in April this year, launched its National Artificial Intelligence Collective Industry (NAICI). The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, said the NAICI is a community of practice that will support strategy implementation while ensuring ethics and safety remain central to AI deployment in the country.
He pointed out that Nigeria is leveraging innovation and strategic advantages to become West Africa’s AI hub. The country had in 2023 signed the Bletchley Declaration on AI, along with 28 other nations, including the UK and France, committing to AI development that mitigates risk.
Frankly speaking, as the Africa’s most populous country, is singularly positioned to harness artificial intelligence’s transformative capacity to address pressing socio-economic conundrums, accelerate economic growth, and pivot the nation into a new epoch of technological empowerment which unlocks unprecedented opportunities for sustainable development, economic prosperity, and human flourishing.
But the country can only achieve its potential in AI if we put in place friendly Tech ecosystem policies that will encourage our own innovators and entrepreneurs to build. China, relying on their local innovators jettisoned foreign platforms, and did what seemed impossible for a long time. They ousted American IT corporations from the domestic market and are now actively buying them up. Lenovo bought IBM at one time, and is looking at Blackberry. Today Chinese brands such as ZTE or Huawei have become synonymous with success and power which everyone in the West fears.
The primary principle guiding the prohibition of access to foreign platforms is national sovereignty, which asserts the right of each state to govern itself and its territory without external interference. This principle of national sovereignty which is enshrined in international law, not only dictates that each state has the right to control its own affairs and territory but also includes the ability to regulate or restrict access to foreign platforms interference in order for its citizens to use its national platform.
Prohibiting access is often a response to negative impacts from foreign platforms in a nation’s national interest such as national security, public order or cultural values. That is why the second principle of prohibiting access to a foreign platform is for the country’s regulators to identify a set of key topics that can affect the life of the country in a destabilizing way.
Fostering public-private partnerships is crucial for attracting investment in the telecommunication and technology sectors, but must keep foreign domination of the sectors at bay.
Solo Tor writes from Maiduguri.
