By Elvis Eromosele
Nigeria risks being left further behind in the fast-growing global artificial intelligence (AI) economy as new data from the World Bank shows that innovation, funding, and computing power remain heavily concentrated in high-income countries.
According to the Digital Progress and Trends Report 2025, high-income countries account for 87 per cent of notable AI models, 86 per cent of AI start-ups, and 91 per cent of global venture capital funding in AI as of mid-2025. By contrast, low- and middle-income countries, where Nigeria sits, contribute just a fraction of global AI innovation despite accounting for nearly half of the world’s population.
The report highlights a growing imbalance in AI usage versus AI creation. While over 40 per cent of global ChatGPT traffic now comes from middle-income countries, including large digital markets such as India and Brazil, low-income countries collectively contribute less than one per cent of global usage. Nigeria, despite its large and youthful population, remains constrained by limited infrastructure and skills.
Internet access remains a major bottleneck. While 93 per cent of people in high-income countries were online by 2024, internet penetration in lower-middle-income countries, Nigeria’s category, stood at just 54 per cent, with even lower levels of data consumption. Per capita data traffic in 2023 averaged 100 gigabytes in LMICs, compared to 1,400 gigabytes in high-income economies.
The computing power required to develop and deploy AI is also highly uneven. The United States alone hosts 50 per cent of the world’s secure internet servers, while low- and middle-income countries combined account for just nine per cent. On a per capita basis, the U.S. has 200 times more servers than middle-income countries and 20,000 times more than low-income countries.
Skills shortages further weaken Nigeria’s AI readiness. Only 21 per cent of people in lower-middle-income countries possess basic digital skills, while fewer than two per cent have advanced digital capabilities. Yet demand is accelerating: AI-related job vacancies grew by 11 per cent in LMICs between 2021 and 2024, compared to just two per cent in high-income countries.
The report warns that without urgent investments in digital infrastructure, skills development, and local data ecosystems, countries like Nigeria risk becoming permanent consumers rather than creators in the AI-driven global economy.
You can download the full report here Digital Progress and Trends Report 2025, Strengthening AI Foundations
