Nigeria tops Africa in GIRAI 2026

Nigeria has emerged as the highest-ranked African country in the second edition of the Global Index on Responsible AI (GIRAI), published by the Global Center on AI Governance. Nigeria ranked 38th globally with a score of 45.93, a significant improvement from its 2024 rank of 80th (score 7.21). Egypt ranked second in Africa. The index evaluates 138 countries across five pillars: inclusion and diversity, ethics and sustainability, labour and skills, trust and safety, and AI use in public service. Nigeria was also recognized as a global 'Bright Spot' for advancing AI literacy while strengthening digital protections for children. The report attributed Nigeria's performance to deliberate government efforts, including the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (NAIS), the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, and legal frameworks like the Nigeria Data Protection Act and the General Application and Implementation Directive (GAID) 2025. Minister Bosun Tijani commented that the recognition reflects Nigeria's commitment to building an inclusive and responsible AI ecosystem aligned with President Bola Tinubu's vision of a $1 trillion economy. This achievement builds on Nigeria's climb of 31 places in the Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index earlier in 2026.