Nigeria’s telecommunications regulator and industry leaders have called for immediate and coordinated efforts to develop Africa’s artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, warning that without significant local investment, the continent risks becoming a passive consumer of global technologies.
These concerns were voiced during a high-level virtual forum organised by Africa Hyperscalers, where Nigeria played a central role in discussions about what Africa must build to stay competitive in an AI-driven world.
Delivering the keynote speech, Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), emphasised that AI has become “as fundamental as roads, power, and ports” for economic competitiveness. He explained that countries investing in robust compute capacity, cloud infrastructure, high-speed connectivity, reliable power, and skilled talent will unlock new productivity gains and create jobs. Conversely, those that do not will remain consumers of innovations developed elsewhere.
Maida highlighted Africa’s critical need to close the gaps in compute, algorithms, and data, stressing the importance of locally governed datasets and AI models tailored to the continent’s needs.
He reaffirmed the NCC’s commitment to expanding connectivity, fostering cloud adoption, growing data centres, strengthening cybersecurity, and implementing adaptive regulation to support AI development.
Nigeria’s strategic importance in this arena is underscored by its growing digital infrastructure. The country currently hosts more than 20 active data centres, mostly in Lagos, with a total capacity of 56.1 MW as of 2025. This capacity is projected to quadruple by 2030 to meet the increasing demands of AI and digital transformation.
