Nigeria is making a notable advance in global artificial intelligence preparedness, climbing 31 places in the Oxford Government AI Readiness Index 2025, a benchmark assessment tracking how governments are positioning for AI adoption and impact.
The index shows that Nigeria has moved from 103rd place in 2023 to 72nd out of 195 countries in 2025, placing the country in the 37th percentile globally. The improvement is reflecting what the index describes as stronger alignment between policy design and execution, particularly where government strategies are translating into measurable outcomes.
According to the ranking, Nigeria is now placed 35th globally in Policy Capacity, a performance underpinned by the development of a clear National Artificial Intelligence Strategy. The country also ranks 49th in Development and Diffusion, signalling growing strength in talent development, research activity, and the expansion of innovation ecosystems.
Commenting on the trajectory, Dr Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Information and Digital Economy, says that the gains are the result of deliberate choices rather than chance.
“This progress is deliberate. We chose early to treat AI not as a future idea, but as national productivity infrastructure,” the minister says.
Minister: Nigeria treats AI as national productivity infrastructure
Commenting on the trajectory, Dr Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Information and Digital Economy, says that the gains are the result of deliberate choices rather than chance.
“This progress is deliberate. We chose early to treat AI not as a future idea, but as national productivity infrastructure,” the minister says.
The Oxford index assesses countries across multiple pillars, including governance, infrastructure, data availability, human capital, and innovation capacity. Nigeria’s rise is suggesting increasing coherence across these areas, even as gaps remain when compared with leading AI economies.
Attention is now shifting from readiness to scale. The Federal Government says the next phase will focus on strengthening Nigeria’s ability to absorb and apply AI across public institutions, businesses, and society at large.
“The next phase is scale, strengthening Nigeria’s absorptive capacity across government, business, and society,” Tijani says.
Initiatives such as the AI Collective, AI Trust, and N-ATLAS are being positioned as central to this push. According to the government, these programmes are designed to move the country “from readiness to real impact”, signalling a transition from strategy development to deployment and use.
The AI drive is also being framed within the Federal Government’s broader economic ambition. “Under the leadership of H.E. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, building a $1 trillion economy is inseparable from AI-driven productivity across every sector,” the government says.
With momentum building, the policy question now is whether Nigeria can accelerate further into the global top tier. “Can Nigeria move into the global top 50 for AI capability?” the statement asks, adding that “the moment is global. Nigeria has stepped into it, with intent.”
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