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By Chinenye Anuforo
Nigeria has completed work on its National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy and is now awaiting final approval from the National Assembly, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, has said.
Tijani disclosed this on Wednesday in Lagos at the Crisis Management Advocacy Month 2026 Flagship Conference, organised by CMC Connect LLP, where he clarified that the country’s AI framework is no longer at the conceptual stage but has been fully developed and is nearing institutional backing.
“I am pleased to share that Nigeria now has a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy. It is no longer a draft, it is a fully developed strategy,” he stated.
He added that the accompanying policy framework has already passed through the necessary processes and could receive legislative approval within weeks, signalling a major step towards formalising AI governance in the country.
The minister’s disclosure places Nigeria among a growing number of nations moving to regulate and strategically deploy artificial intelligence amid intensifying global competition in the sector.
In a significant development, Tijani also revealed that Nigeria has built a government-backed large language model (LLM), the core technology behind modern AI systems, making it the first of its kind on the African continent.
According to him, the model is designed to understand and communicate in local languages such as Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and others, alongside English, ensuring that Nigeria’s linguistic diversity is captured in the evolving global AI ecosystem.
The move, he explained, is critical to preventing Africa from being marginalised in AI development due to language limitations and data gaps.
Beyond policy, Tijani stressed that artificial intelligence will play a decisive role in how Nigeria prepares for and manages future crises, noting that disruptions, whether economic, technological or societal, are inevitable.
“Crises are inevitable. What separates those who succeed is preparedness,” he said.
He explained that AI-powered systems can enable governments and organisations to analyse large volumes of data, identify patterns and anticipate risks before they escalate, shifting crisis management from reactive responses to predictive planning.
To support the country’s digital ambitions, the minister also highlighted plans to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic infrastructure nationwide, a project aimed at strengthening connectivity and enabling real-time data-driven decision-making.
Tijani, however, emphasised that success will depend not just on technology, but on how information is managed, particularly during periods of uncertainty.
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“Information shapes perception, perception builds trust, and trust determines outcomes,” he said.
With the strategy now awaiting legislative approval, attention is expected to shift to implementation and how quickly Nigeria can translate policy into measurable impact in its digital economy.
Earlier, Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, Group Managing Director, CLC Connect, delivered his welcome address.
Badejo-Okusanya warned that the nature of crises has fundamentally changed, becoming faster, more complex and increasingly engineered through emerging technologies.
“Crisis management must move from the background to the centre of leadership,” he said.
“It is no longer enough to react. We must anticipate, prepare and lead through crises.”
AI amplifying crisis risks
He noted that artificial intelligence has significantly altered the crisis landscape, enabling the spread of deepfakes, manipulated content and cloned voices capable of misleading the public and distorting reality.
According to him, over 60 per cent of organisations have already experienced AI-amplified crises, while nearly 70 per cent of media institutions remain unprepared to respond effectively.
“Today, crises are faster than facts and louder than truth. The real crisis is the widening gap between how fast threats evolve and how slowly organisations respond”, he said.
As part of efforts to address these challenges, Badejo-Okusanya announced the launch of Crisis Edge, an AI-driven crisis management platform developed by CLC Connect.
Described as the first of its kind in South Africa, the platform is designed to help organisations detect, manage and respond to crises in real time.
He explained that the solution is built to stop misinformation before it spreads, protect reputations before damage occurs, and preserve stakeholder trust.
“Crisis Edge gives organisations the power to act at the moment that matters most,” he said.
