BusinessDay
Charles Ogwo
July 3, 2026
…as T&A Legal holds AI Summit 2026 in Lagos
It has been projected that, Artificial intelligence (AI) will contribute as much as $15 billion to Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030, as experts say the technology is set to become a key driver of economic growth, productivity, and innovation across critical sectors.
Experts at the T&A Legal AI Summit 2026, themed ‘The AI Conversation, Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence in Nigeria: Balancing Regulation and Innovation’ emphasised that unlocking this potential will depend on sustained investments in digital infrastructure, skills development, supportive regulation, and wider AI adoption by businesses and government.
Seyi Adisa, co-founder and partner at T&A Legal, speaking during the summit, highlighted the economic opportunities AI presents for Nigeria, as he projected that artificial intelligence could contribute approximately $15 billion to Nigeria’s GDP by 2030.
“The projection remains achievable if Nigeria continues to build on its strengths in creative industries, digital services and technology-enabled sectors.
“We often describe ourselves as consumers, but we also produce. Maybe not always in products, but certainly in services. When you look at music, Afrobeats and other sectors where Nigeria exports quality content globally, those are strengths we can build on,” he said.
Adisa said if the federal government continues to diversify the economy beyond oil, AI could play a significant role in accelerating growth across multiple sectors.
Kashifu Abdullahi, director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), represented by Emmanuel Edet, in his keynote address said Nigeria has moved beyond debating whether it should embrace artificial intelligence.
“The question is no longer whether Nigeria should embrace artificial intelligence. It is how we implement it responsibly, inclusively and at scale,” he said.
He reiterated the AI’s potential to accelerate economic growth, improve public service delivery and strengthen Nigeria’s competitiveness within the global digital economy.
Besides, Abdullahi revealed that the agency’s national AI strategy is focused on building an ecosystem rather than simply producing policy documents.
“NITDA’s efforts are already underway through initiatives such as the Nigerian AI Collective, AI capability development programmes, partnerships with universities, investments in digital skills and support for research and innovation,” he said.
However, he stressed that successful AI deployment requires strong foundations, including reliable electricity, broadband connectivity, cloud infrastructure, data centers and a skilled workforce.
“Artificial intelligence does not run on algorithms alone. It runs on energy, compute capacity, quality data, connectivity, digital infrastructure, talent and trust,” he noted.
Olivia Plesch, a Berlin-based lawyer, provided an international perspective to the summit via virtual, sharing insights from the European Union’s AI governance framework.
Plesch explained that Europe has adopted a risk-based approach to regulating artificial intelligence, focusing on creating trust rather than regulating technology for its own sake.
She highlighted three principles underpinning the EU’s approach: ensuring AI remains human-centric, adopting risk-based regulation and providing legal certainty for organisations.
According to her, organisations should prioritise AI literacy, establish clear governance structures and maintain visibility over AI systems being deployed within their operations.
Experts at the summit believe that as AI, currently valued at over $539 billion and projected to surpass $3.6 trillion by 2033, rapidly reshapes economies, industries and public services across the world, Nigerian policymakers, regulators, legal practitioners, academics and technology leaders must ensure it drives innovation and economic growth without compromising public trust, privacy and accountability.
The organisers of the summit expressed satisfaction that the event achieved its goal of creating a platform where regulators, lawmakers, academics, private sector players, technology developers, civil society organisations and users of AI could engage in meaningful dialogue.
“We’ve had distinguished senators involved in ICT matters, regulators, academia, professors from universities, the private sector, users, developers, civil society, thinkers and the media.
“It has been what we imagined it would be, an opportunity for different segments to come together and have a conversation on artificial intelligence in Nigeria and really discuss the way forward,” Adisa said.
He noted that AI governance remains an evolving issue globally, with countries experimenting with different regulatory approaches while trying to balance innovation and public protection.
Nevertheless, he frowned at the fact that many Nigerians are still unfamiliar with how AI systems collect, process and utilise personal data, making education a critical first step toward responsible AI adoption.
“The starting point is education. Before we say regulation, we need education.
“Citizens need a better understanding of how their personal information is stored, accessed and used in the digital economy,” he said.
According to him, improving public understanding of data rights and responsibilities would help create a more informed society capable of engaging with AI technologies safely and responsibly.
“If people understand that data is the new gold, then both in terms of how we use it and how we manage it, we can achieve better coordination and better outcomes,” Adisa noted.
Experts at the summit consented that Nigeria’s AI future must be built on trust, education, collaboration and responsible innovation.
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Charles Ogwo is a proactive journalist, driving education, and business innovations for over 10 years. He leads initiatives leveraging tech to enhance storytelling and build topnotch performing team. Charles is passionate about harnessing technology to inform, engage and empower communities.
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