Tracking Nigeria's AI governance landscape

We monitor what key institutions are saying and doing on AI regulation.

Last updated: April 2026

Status Dashboard

State-level tech offices (Lagos, FCT, Kano)

Status: Under review

Current stance: State-level innovation offices are active, but frontier AI risk governance language is uneven.

Latest action: City and state digital programs continue to expand; dedicated AI safety guardrails vary by jurisdiction.

Our ask: Develop a shared state-level AI governance template with risk reporting, procurement standards, and public accountability requirements.

State-level institutions can pilot practical safeguards quickly and inform national-level policy design.

Presidency / Executive Office

Status: No public stance

Current stance: No explicit public executive directive currently addresses a temporary frontier AI pause.

Latest action: Digital economy messaging remains high-level, with no consolidated executive AI safety posture published.

Our ask: Issue a national executive statement endorsing precautionary frontier AI governance and multilateral engagement.

Executive leadership can set urgency and align institutions around a coherent national AI safety strategy.

National Assembly

Status: Active engagement

Current stance: Legislative attention to digital governance is increasing, with room to formalize frontier AI oversight.

Latest action: Committee-level digital policy discussions continue, but dedicated frontier AI safety provisions are not yet comprehensive.

Our ask: Establish a formal parliamentary inquiry into frontier AI risk and national preparedness, including public hearings.

The National Assembly is a critical channel for durable legal safeguards and democratic oversight of high-risk AI systems.

FMCIDE

Status: Under review

Current stance: AI modernization is discussed within broader innovation and digital economy priorities.

Latest action: Ongoing ecosystem engagement on digital transformation, with opportunities to include stronger frontier AI safety language.

Our ask: Coordinate a cross-ministerial frontier AI safety consultation with civil society, academia, and labor stakeholders.

FMCIDE can serve as a coordination hub for policy alignment between innovation goals and public-safety safeguards.

NCC

Status: No public stance

Current stance: No fully articulated public position specific to frontier AI pause measures has been published.

Latest action: Telecom and digital communications policy updates continue, but no dedicated frontier AI safety framework has been issued as of this update.

Our ask: Publish a telecom-focused AI safety and misinformation resilience framework aligned with national AI governance efforts.

NCC has policy relevance through digital communications oversight and anti-misinformation coordination, but frontier AI-specific safety policy remains limited.

NITDA

Status: Under review

Current stance: NITDA has acknowledged the need for AI governance and has signaled policy development interest.

Latest action: Consultation and strategy activities indicate momentum, but frontier AI-specific safety controls are still developing.

Our ask: Publish a precautionary frontier AI position that prioritizes independent safety testing, transparency, and democratic oversight.

NITDA is central to national AI governance and is positioned to anchor stronger safety-first standards for high-risk systems.

Policy Timeline

  • 3/20/2026 · State-level tech offices (Lagos, FCT, Kano) · Source
    State-level institutions can pilot practical safeguards quickly and inform national-level policy design.
  • 3/17/2026 · Presidency / Executive Office · Source
    Executive leadership can set urgency and align institutions around a coherent national AI safety strategy.
  • 3/14/2026 · National Assembly · Source
    The National Assembly is a critical channel for durable legal safeguards and democratic oversight of high-risk AI systems.
  • 3/11/2026 · FMCIDE · Source
    FMCIDE can serve as a coordination hub for policy alignment between innovation goals and public-safety safeguards.
  • 3/8/2026 · NCC · Source
    NCC has policy relevance through digital communications oversight and anti-misinformation coordination, but frontier AI-specific safety policy remains limited.
  • 3/1/2026 · NITDA · Source
    NITDA is central to national AI governance and is positioned to anchor stronger safety-first standards for high-risk systems.

PauseAI Nigeria's Position

We support a temporary pause on frontier AI development until verifiable safeguards, governance mechanisms, and accountability standards are in place.

Policy brief PDF link will be added in this section.

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