Nigeria now potential global model for responsible AI adoption – Research
Nigeria has been indicated as a potential responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) model in the world. This is the report of a new research published by Arion Research LLC and sponsored by Zoho. The report, titled ‘The AI Privacy Equation: The Nigerian Model of Responsible AI Adoption,’ spotlighted 386 Nigerian business leaders with fresh insights into how the country manages the balance between technological innovation and privacy protection.
The findings reveal that Nigerian businesses are embracing AI at an impressive pace and embedding privacy protection at the very core of their digital transformation strategies. According to the report, 93 percent of surveyed organisations have already begun their AI journey, with nearly a third achieving advanced integration across their operations.
In the survey, 84 percent of respondents said their organisations had strengthened privacy safeguards since adopting AI, a trend that runs counter to global patterns where privacy is often compromised in the race toward innovation.
This transformation is driven by strong leadership at the highest levels, with over half of surveyed executives pointing to industrial chief executives and senior management as the primary champions of AI adoption and privacy integration.
The financial services sector, in particular, is emerging as a frontrunner, representing almost one-third of surveyed organisations and demonstrating sophisticated approaches to balancing innovation with regulatory compliance.
Beyond leadership, Nigerian organisations are investing substantially in people and skills to support this shift. Itvnoted that almost 70 percent are prioritising data analysis capabilities while more than half are focusing on building AI literacy across their workforce.
The report also highlights how Nigerian businesses are allocating significant portions of their IT budgets to privacy infrastructure, appointing dedicated privacy officers, and conducting regular impact assessments—practices that are establishing a new benchmark for responsible AI adoption.
According to country head of Zoho Nigeria, said Kehinde Ogundare, “The Nigerian Model proves that emerging economies need not sacrifice privacy for innovation. By demonstrating that leadership commitment, technological advancement, and privacy protection can reinforce one another, Nigeria is charting a path that other markets worldwide can learn from and replicate.”
Among key recommendations by the report for stakeholders, government and regulators were urged to enhance policy frameworks and create regulatory sandboxes that encourage innovation while safeguarding privacy.
For Nigerian organisations, it emphasised the importance of building strategic AI governance systems, embedding privacy-bydesign principles into every stage of implementation, and scaling workforce training to meet the demands of the digital economy.
