Microsoft has urged Nigeria to move from artificial intelligence policy development to practical implementation, stressing that the true value of AI lies in delivering measurable benefits for government, businesses, and citizens.
The call was made by Mrs. Nonye Ujam, Microsoft’s Director of Government Affairs for West Africa, during the AI Summit Nigeria held in Abuja.
The summit, organised by Microsoft in partnership with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and MTN Nigeria, was themed “From Policy to Progress: Accelerating Responsible AI Adoption for Nigeria’s Digital Decade.”
Speaking at the event, Ujam acknowledged Nigeria’s efforts in developing frameworks to support artificial intelligence, including the National AI Strategy, data governance initiatives, and regulatory reforms.
She noted that these initiatives have positioned Nigeria as one of Africa’s emerging leaders in AI readiness.
However, she stressed that the next challenge is implementation.
According to her, the focus must now shift from developing strategies to deploying AI solutions that generate tangible outcomes across critical sectors of the economy. “As the focus shifts from strategy to implementation, the priority is to translate ambition into impact by operationalising AI in ways that deliver real and measurable outcomes,” she said.
Ujam explained that achieving this objective would require strong governance structures, robust digital infrastructure, institutional capacity, and clear regulatory frameworks capable of supporting AI deployment at scale.
Microsoft also emphasised that public trust will determine the success or failure of AI adoption.
Ujam said AI systems must be built around key principles such as reliability, fairness, privacy, security, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability.
According to her, responsible AI development must reflect local realities and national priorities rather than merely replicating foreign models.
“Trusted AI must be built collaboratively, grounded in local realities, aligned with national priorities, and guided by public interest,” she stated.
She added that AI presents significant opportunities for Nigeria to improve public service delivery, expand access to knowledge, enhance productivity, and strengthen its competitiveness in the global digital economy.
Also speaking at the summit, Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General of NITDA, represented by the agency’s Acting Director of Regulation and Compliance, Emmanuel Edet, said Nigeria possesses the talent and capacity needed to lead Africa’s AI transformation.
He described AI as a general-purpose technology capable of reshaping virtually every sector of the economy.
According to him, public trust remains essential for sustainable adoption.
“Without public trust, AI adoption will be stalled. Without accountability, innovation will not scale sustainably, and without transparency, citizens will lose confidence in the systems designed to serve them,” he said.
Inuwa further argued that Nigeria must pursue digital sovereignty by developing indigenous AI solutions rather than depending entirely on technologies developed elsewhere.
“We must become creators of intelligence rooted in our realities and responsive to our aspirations. We must build local talent, strengthen research ecosystems, and create an enabling environment where Nigerian and African solutions can thrive,” he said.
“The future of AI should not simply happen in Africa; Africa must shape it.”
