Royal Ibeh
Nigeria’s ability to compete in the global artificial intelligence (AI) economy will depend largely on the strength of its telecommunications infrastructure and its capacity to keep more internet traffic and digital services within its borders, industry experts have warned.
The experts, who spoke at the West Africa Telecoms Infrastructure Summit and Exhibition (WATISE) 4.0 in Lagos on Thursday, said AI development cannot thrive without reliable broadband networks, local data hosting facilities and stronger internet exchange systems capable of supporting growing computing demands.
Speaking during a panel session themed, “The Resilient AI Fabric: Trust, Integrity and Sustainability in Next Generation Network Infrastructure,” industry leaders argued that while Nigeria has shown increasing interest in AI adoption, the country still lacks critical infrastructure needed to move from being a technology consumer to a producer of AI-driven solutions.
Chidi Ajuzie, chief operating officer of WTES Group, said Nigeria’s future in AI would be determined by investments in connectivity, digital literacy, local hosting facilities and AI-ready infrastructure.
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According to him, the country remains heavily dependent on foreign providers for chipsets, cloud services and AI platforms, limiting its ability to capture value from the rapidly expanding global AI economy.
He noted that despite growing adoption of AI-powered services across sectors, Nigeria’s participation in the AI value chain remains largely confined to consumption rather than development.
“To truly benefit from AI, Nigeria must move beyond consumption and begin investing in local capacity, including infrastructure, talent development and indigenous innovation,” Ajuzie said.
He added that local datasets and indigenous AI models capable of understanding African languages, cultures and realities would be essential if Nigeria hopes to develop solutions tailored to local challenges.
The warning comes at a time when countries worldwide are racing to establish sovereign AI capabilities by investing in domestic data centres, cloud infrastructure and high-performance computing resources. Nations that lack such infrastructure risk becoming perpetual users of foreign AI technologies while exporting both data and economic value abroad.
A major concern raised at the summit was the need to localise internet traffic and digital content within Nigeria.
Speaking on the issue, Seun Olorunisola of the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) said keeping internet traffic within the country would significantly improve network performance and create a stronger foundation for AI applications.
According to him, local traffic exchange reduces latency, enhances user experience and lowers the costs associated with routing internet traffic through overseas networks.
“Keeping more internet traffic within Nigeria will reduce latency, improve service quality and create a stronger foundation for AI applications and digital services,” he said.
Olorunisola stressed that AI systems require substantial computing resources and rapid access to data, making local data centres and internet exchange infrastructure increasingly important.
He noted that Nigeria would need more data centres and computing facilities to support future AI workloads, including large-scale model training and deployment.
The comments highlight a growing recognition within the telecommunications industry that AI and telecom infrastructure are becoming increasingly interconnected.
Unlike traditional digital applications, AI systems require vast amounts of data processing power, cloud capacity and high-speed connectivity, placing new demands on national telecom networks.
Olusola Teniola, director of strategic business initiatives at ipNX, , said accessibility, availability and affordability remained the three pillars that would determine the success of AI adoption across Nigeria and the rest of Africa.
Teniola urged African countries to develop confidence in building technologies suited to local realities rather than depending solely on imported solutions.
He described telecommunications infrastructure as the backbone of financial inclusion and the broader digital economy, warning that damage to critical telecom assets could undermine future AI ambitions.
“We must create an environment where infrastructure investments are protected and innovation is encouraged, enabling Nigeria to compete effectively in the global digital economy,” he said.
His remarks come amid persistent concerns over fibre cuts, vandalism and theft of telecom equipment, challenges that industry operators say continue to increase operational costs and affect service quality nationwide.
Teniola also called on governments to implement policies that encourage infrastructure deployment while attracting investment into the digital ecosystem.
The importance of robust digital infrastructure was also echoed by Stephen Adeoye, National Secretary of the Association of Financial Inclusion Agents of Nigeria (AFIAN), who highlighted AI’s growing role in financial services.
According to him, banks and fintech companies are increasingly deploying AI-powered tools for fraud detection, customer verification and lending decisions.
He said stronger digital infrastructure would accelerate financial inclusion by improving transaction security and enabling wider deployment of intelligent financial services.
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Adeoye further emphasised the need for public awareness and digital literacy to ensure safe and responsible use of emerging technologies.
The consensus among stakeholders was that Nigeria’s AI aspirations cannot be separated from investments in telecommunications infrastructure.
For a country seeking to position itself as a major digital economy in Africa, experts argued that expanding broadband access, increasing local internet traffic exchange, building more data centres and protecting telecom infrastructure may prove just as important as developing AI applications themselves.
Without those foundational investments, Nigeria risks remaining a consumer of foreign AI technologies rather than becoming a significant player in the global AI ecosystem, they warned.
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Royal Ibeh
Royal Ibeh is a senior journalist with years of experience reporting on Nigeria’s technology and health sectors. She currently covers the Technology and Health beats for BusinessDay newspaper, where she writes in-depth stories on digital innovation, telecom infrastructure, healthcare systems, and public health policies.
Source: Businessday.ng | Read the Full Story…
