90% of Nigerian Youths Expect To Use AI For Education, Work – Report

About 90 per cent of young Nigerians expect to use artificial intelligence (AI) for education or work within the next year, the highest proportion reported among Commonwealth countries surveyed, as Nigeria ranks among only three African countries meeting the youth AI readiness benchmark, The Ayre 2026 Commonwealth Youth AI Readiness Index has shown.

The country ranked 15th out of 56 Commonwealth countries, scoring 54.5 points out of 100 against the study’s benchmark of 53, according to the inaugural Ayre Index unveiled at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda.

Nigeria is the last of the 15 Commonwealth countries to meet the benchmark, with only Mauritius and South Africa joining it among African members. The remaining 41 countries fell below the threshold.

The Index, which assessed the conditions shaping young people’s readiness to benefit from artificial intelligence across all 56 Commonwealth countries, drew on 1,128 research sources covering approximately 732 million young people aged 15 to 29.

Nigeria has an estimated 65.7 million young people within the age bracket, with the report highlighting their strong interest in adopting AI for education, employment and other productive activities.

Beyond the 90 per cent who expect to use the technology for education or work, 67.8 per cent of young Nigerian respondents said they felt confident controlling their interactions with AI.

Nigeria also scored 8.7 out of 10 in the Index’s motivation and confidence category, indicating strong interest among young people in participating in the emerging AI economy.

However, the report identified a significant gap between young Nigerians’ enthusiasm for artificial intelligence and their practical digital capabilities, warning that the country must strengthen skills development to translate the growing interest into productive employment and business opportunities.

Nigeria scored just 0.8 out of 10 in digital, data, media and AI capability under the selected measures used by the Index.

According to the study, the assessment relied largely on household survey indicators measuring conventional computer skills, including installing software and writing computer programmes, rather than young people’s current ability to use AI tools.

It also highlighted widespread informal employment and the relatively low representation of Nigerians aged 25 to 29 in high-skill occupations as constraints to the country’s ability to maximise the economic benefits of artificial intelligence.

Despite the skills gap, Nigeria recorded strong performance in work-based learning, with approximately 84 out of every 1,000 young people participating in apprenticeships, internships or traineeships.

This was the highest rate among the 31 Commonwealth countries with comparable data.

Founder of the Ayre Think Tank, Calvin Ayre, said the ability of countries to benefit from artificial intelligence would depend largely on equipping young people with the skills and opportunities to participate in the emerging technology-driven economy.

“I’ve spent my life in businesses where new technology changes everything, and I know you can’t stand still. AI is going to change how we work, how we do business and how wealth is created. But this is not a race that only the biggest or richest countries can win. What matters is giving young people the skills and the chance to get ahead – whether to start businesses, find jobs or build something for themselves. Some Commonwealth countries are ahead, others have catching up to do. Nobody can afford to be complacent. That’s why we created this Index. It shows countries where they stand, what they’re getting right and where they need to do better. Governments now have to decide what they’re going to do about it.”

Nigeria has introduced several government-backed initiatives aimed at building digital skills and expanding opportunities for young people in the technology sector.

The government’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme is providing training in digital skills, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, with a new partnership network launched in March 2026.

In August, the government, in partnership with Meta, also launched AI Academy Nigeria to provide practical AI training, technical support and opportunities for startups.

Similarly, the government launched a National AI Innovation Challenge in September 2026 to encourage Nigerian developers, universities and startups to develop practical applications using N-ATLAS, an artificial intelligence model supporting Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Nigerian English.

The study noted that such initiatives could help develop local technology and businesses, but stressed the importance of stronger connections between training programmes, employers and investment to translate digital skills into sustainable enterprises, better jobs and higher incomes.

It identified five priority areas for improving young people’s readiness to benefit from artificial intelligence.

These include affordable and reliable access to technology, education that develops practical skills, stronger pathways from training into employment and enterprise, AI tools adapted to local languages and needs, and safeguards that allow young people to question automated decisions.

Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal of the University of the West Indies, Five Islands Campus, Professor C. Justin Robinson, said young people should be equipped not only to use AI products developed elsewhere but also to participate in improving and governing the technology.

“We need to make sure that the next generation will be able to do more than just consume AI products made elsewhere. Access must come with its own agency and a real equitable stake in how these systems are governed. Young people should be equipped to question these new tools, to improve them and to be supported in building alternatives suited to their own needs. Whether that happens, will depend on choices made now. This index gives a clearer view of where those choices are most urgent. We should use it.”