IMF’s AI Report: Where Is Nigeria’s Plan?

….Nigeria not prepared for AI —Experts

By Nafisat Abdulrahman, Onuado Cynthia, Oyindamola Olawuyi

For millions of young Nigerians already struggling to find jobs, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) presents a troubling new question: in an economy where opportunities are scarce, what happens when machines begin to take on tasks traditionally performed by humans?

The warning signs are emerging. As the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cautions that millions of jobs across sub-Saharan Africa could be affected by AI, anxiety is growing among young Nigerians who fear that an already difficult journey into the labour market could become even more challenging.

The stakes are high. Beyond the promise of faster processes, greater productivity and technological innovation lies the risk that workers without the right skills could be left behind.

Experts warn that Nigeria’s weak digital infrastructure, persistent skills gaps and inadequate preparation could further limit its ability to harness the technology while exposing its workforce to disruption.

For many young Nigerians, the struggle begins long before AI enters the conversation. Finding a first job can be an uphill battle, with employers demanding years of experience from fresh graduates, vacancies attracting hundreds of applicants and qualified candidates spending months searching for opportunities. Now, as AI becomes increasingly capable of performing tasks once handled by human workers, a new fear is taking hold: will there be enough jobs for the next generation of graduates?

The concern is backed by figures. A July 2026 report by the IMF, titled Unlocking the Potential: AI in Sub-Saharan Africa, estimates that 22 per cent of jobs across the region could be affected by AI. Of these, 13 per cent face significant risks of replacement, while nearly 10 per cent could benefit from productivity improvements.

These projections, however, do not suggest that all affected jobs will disappear. Rather, they point to a profound shift in the world of work, as AI changes how tasks are performed, reshapes employers’ expectations and influences the number and types of workers businesses need. While some jobs could become more efficient, others may be transformed or face declining demand.

For Nigeria, the implications are particularly significant. The country is confronting this technological shift while grappling with longstanding unemployment challenges, inadequate digital infrastructure and concerns about whether its education system is equipping young people with the skills needed to thrive in a rapidly changing economy.

Interviews by LEADERSHIP with young Nigerians, alongside insights from experts in finance, artificial intelligence and technology, reveal a shared concern: AI could unlock new opportunities for productivity, innovation and job creation, but those benefits are not guaranteed. Without deliberate policies, investment in digital infrastructure and a workforce development strategy that prepares people for emerging demands, Nigeria could struggle to seize the opportunities the technology offers.

The question, therefore, is no longer whether AI will change Nigeria’s labour market, but whether the country is preparing its people for that change. As the IMF’s projections bring the potential consequences into sharper focus, one critical question remains: where is Nigeria’s plan?

The question, therefore, is no longer simply whether AI will change Nigeria’s labour market. It is whether the government, employers and educational institutions are doing enough to ensure Nigerians can adapt before the disruption becomes more difficult to manage.

Young Graduates Weigh In

Nwokwu Sarah Chigozie, a corps member serving at the Defence Research and Development Bureau in Abuja, while speaking with LEADERSHIP expressed belief that AI could threaten administrative positions and other jobs involving repetitive tasks. However, she views the technology as an opportunity for graduates willing to learn new skills.

“I’m concerned, but I’m not threatened because I feel like AI is going to threaten some people’s jobs, but it’s also going to offer opportunities to recent graduates like us if we can move with the tempo,” she said.

For Chigozie, the challenge is ensuring that young people have access to the training needed to adapt. She called for accessible AI programs for corps members and other graduates, arguing that government efforts should go beyond general awareness and equip people with practical skills.

She also cautioned businesses against relying excessively on automated systems at the expense of human interaction, warning that customers could become dissatisfied if companies prioritised technology over their needs.

Her concerns reflect a wider uncertainty among young workers: learning to use AI may improve their prospects, but those without access to training could find themselves at a disadvantage.

Damilare Atuwa, a chartered accountant, similarly believes that AI will affect some occupations more than others but cannot eliminate the need for human involvement entirely.

“Sometimes AI can get some things wrong, and even ask you to vet it, so who will vet it? It’s still people,” he said.

Atuwa argued that AI education should be incorporated into school curricula, while civil servants should receive capacity-building training to help them understand and use the technology effectively.

Beose Francisca Ekehinde, who recently completed her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme at the House of Representatives and is currently seeking employment, questioned whether AI could adequately replace roles that depend on direct human interaction.

As an administrative assistant clerk, she said, her responsibilities involved communicating with people and attending to their needs, duties she believes cannot be fully replicated by automated systems.

Ekehinde urged the government to invest in public awareness and training so that young Nigerians would not be disadvantaged as workplaces adopt new technologies.

Another corps member, Emmanuel, acknowledged that AI was developed to make work easier but said its expanding capabilities could threaten employment opportunities.

Although he believes the technology cannot perform every job, he expects some employers to favour AI over fresh graduates because of the potential cost savings.

“Yes, they will, especially with the cost of things and the ability to cater and provide for the team, who wouldn’t want cheaper and faster,” he said.

“Artificial intelligence could make Nigeria’s employment crisis more challenging if we fail to prepare our young people for the changing world of work.

“Nigeria must invest in digital skills, strengthen its education system and equip young people to take advantage of emerging opportunities rather than be left behind by technological change,” Hassan Omenogo, an AI expert, said.

Which Jobs Are Most Exposed To AI?

According to Omenogo, Banking, telecommunications, accounting, administration, recruitment and media are among the sectors where AI could change staffing requirements and the nature of work.

He noted further that the technology can assist with customer enquiries, document processing, data entry, report preparation, recruitment screening, transcription and basic content production.

“Such applications can help businesses complete tasks faster and reduce operating costs. But the employment consequences will depend on how organizations use the technology,” he said.

Administrative workers may find that document preparation and scheduling become increasingly automated, while their ability to coordinate people, resolve problems and manage complex situations remains valuable.

The media industry faces a similar transition. AI can assist journalists with transcription, research and data organisation, as well as the preparation of basic content. However, investigative reporting, independent verification, editorial judgement, source protection and accountability remain critical responsibilities.

The challenge for workers is to understand how their roles are changing and develop skills that complement the technology.

But the responsibility cannot rest entirely on individuals. Employers, educational institutions and government agencies also need to determine how workers can be retrained, which new occupations may emerge and what support is required for people whose jobs are affected.

Experts: ‘Nigeria is not prepared for AI’

For Adefolarin Olamilekan, a financial expert and analyst, the employment implications of AI are a growing global concern that requires deliberate government policies.

He argued that Nigeria could not yet be considered prepared for the changes ahead, although countries across the world were still developing measures to manage the technology’s impact.

“In the aspect of preparation, no country across the world can be seen as prepared for AI. In the case of Nigeria, we can’t also say we are prepared, but every country is just putting up measures that would help them mitigate the pressure that AI would bring in the job market,” Olamilekan said.

He acknowledged that the Nigerian government had been undertaking education and advocacy around AI but said more needed to be done to help workers understand how the technology could affect their jobs and how they could use it to improve productivity.

According to him, public education should move beyond explaining what AI is to showing people how to apply it in their workplaces.

“One of all the key measures is education. We need to educate people on what AI is. Initially, when we talk about AI, everybody thought it was going to be like a robot coming to take over your job. But right now, we are beginning to see it as a collaborative job partnership between users and tools of AI and a worker,” he said.

Olamilekan also identified the cost of accessing AI tools and the resources required to train workers as issues that needed attention.

He noted that African countries were progressing at different rates in technological development and AI adoption, citing South Africa and Egypt as examples of countries making progress in the sector.

While Nigeria was also adopting AI, particularly in the media industry, he said the country needed to strengthen its capacity to benefit from the technology.

Adeoye Abodunrin, a futurist and life coach, offered a more critical assessment of Nigeria’s readiness, arguing that the country needed to stop treating AI as a future development and confront its growing presence in everyday life.

“The question should be, what are we doing about the AI that’s coming into the system already? ‘Usher it in’ sounds like AI is still at the door. AI is already in the room, sitting down, taking shape,” he said.

Abodunrin argued that Nigeria’s challenge extended beyond access to technology to the weaknesses of the institutions and systems required to use it effectively.

He pointed to gaps in technical capacity and the continued reliance on manual processes in many organisations, including government institutions.

“Preparation would mean we have the ability to understand it very well and to deploy it effectively. So, there’s a capacity gap, much of which we understand,” he said.

According to him, organisations that have yet to transition fully from paper-based processes to digital systems will struggle to integrate advanced technologies effectively.

He maintained that Nigeria needed to invest in the skills and institutional capacity required to take advantage of AI rather than assume that access to the technology alone would guarantee progress.

“Our question about where we are is where we are going to leapfrog capacity. Not from the technology. The technologies like to be leapfrogged. But only for capacity, so that we can take advantage because AI is here,” he said.

Abodunrin warned that without deliberate preparation, AI could deepen existing economic disadvantages instead of improving productivity and living standards.

“Either AI will be another tool to colonise us, or we’re going to use it to emancipate our economy. The choices are ours,” he said.

Although he acknowledged government efforts to stabilise the economy, develop infrastructure and expand economic opportunities, he argued that these interventions were insufficient to prepare Nigeria for an AI-driven economy.

He called for more deliberate investment in reliable electricity, effective policies, political commitment and systems capable of ensuring that the benefits of technological development reach different parts of the country.

For Abodunrin, AI is not merely a technological innovation but a broader economic and societal transformation requiring changes in public policy, institutions and the way people work.

‘AI could destroy some jobs while creating others’

While concerns about displacement are real, Peter Ugochuwu Nnachor, chief executive officer and founder of GritinAI, said the impact of AI should be understood within the broader history of technological change.

He explained that technological advances had disrupted established businesses and occupations while creating new industries and opportunities.

Citing the decline of telephone-booth businesses following the wider availability of mobile phones, Nnachor said the spread of new technology often changes how services are delivered and the kinds of businesses that can survive.

He also pointed to point-of-sale (POS) businesses, arguing that they could eventually face disruption as payment technologies evolve.

“The truth is that the time is coming still, whereby this particular business venture would no longer be in the markets,” he said, referring to POS businesses.

According to him, AI is following a similar pattern: some existing jobs and business models may disappear even as new roles emerge.

“Obviously, AI is going to take over those jobs or those roles. While that is going on, another thing also happens concurrently. There are other roles and other positions that are opening up in the AI space,” he said.

Nnachor cited prompt engineering as an example of a role that has emerged alongside AI development. He added that AI was reducing the time and resources required to develop and launch businesses, allowing entrepreneurs to test ideas and assess their commercial potential more quickly.

However, he cautioned that the number of new opportunities created might not necessarily match the number of jobs displaced.

That distinction is particularly important for Nigeria, where the challenge is not only preparing workers for new occupations but also ensuring that enough opportunities exist for those who may lose their jobs or struggle to enter the labour market.

Nnachor said Nigeria’s ability to benefit from AI would depend partly on the development of the data infrastructure required to support the technology.

He explained that AI development relied on effective data management, coordination, responsible sharing and common standards that would enable locally developed systems to function properly.

Citing initiatives in Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa, he stressed the need for stronger data systems across the continent.

Speaking about a research paper developed by his organisation, titled *AI Made in Africa*, Nnachor said Africa needed frameworks that would allow it to use data responsibly while developing AI solutions suited to local needs.

He warned that rushing into AI development without addressing weaknesses in data management and infrastructure could limit the effectiveness of locally developed systems.

On workforce preparation, he said government agencies were not the only institutions involved in AI training, noting that private organisations also provided training for public institutions and businesses.

He said GritinAI focused on connecting training to practical applications, enabling participants to understand how AI could be developed and deployed to solve real-world problems.

His argument points to a critical policy question: Nigeria must not only prepare people to use AI tools developed elsewhere but also build the technical capacity and infrastructure needed to create solutions that address local challenges.

Nigeria has an AI strategy, but implementation remains crucial

LEADERSHIP reports that previously Nigeria developed a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy to guide AI adoption, innovation and development while addressing issues including ethics, privacy and employment. The country also established the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics to promote research and technological innovation.

These initiatives provide a policy foundation, but their existence alone does not establish how effectively workers are being prepared for changes in the labour market.

The central issue is whether national plans are translating into practical opportunities for students, graduates, civil servants and workers whose responsibilities may change as AI becomes more widely adopted.

Experts who spoke with LEADERSHIP argued that Nigeria needed to expand public education and make AI training more accessible, while others stressed that reliable electricity, digital infrastructure and institutional capacity were essential to effective adoption.

Their views suggest that preparation must extend beyond encouraging individuals to learn how to use AI. It requires coordinated investment in education, infrastructure, institutions and the productive economy.