Artificial Intelligence in Nigerian Education: Promise, Policy and the Path Forward

Artificial Intelligence in Nigerian Education: Navigating Opportunities and Challenges

The future of education in Nigeria lies at a crossroads. With technological advances reshaping every sector, artificial intelligence (AI) promises to be a game-changer for Nigeria’s educational system. Yet, as discussed in the 13th Reading Culture Dialogue, integrating AI into Nigeria’s classrooms comes with its own set of challenges and considerations.

At the forefront of this conversation were distinguished experts such as Prof. A.B. Sunday, Olusola Aina, Olasupo Olabisi, Abosede Abimbola-David, and other stakeholders who shared their unique insights into the role AI can play in modernising curriculum content, personalising learning, and improving teacher training.

But the discussion didn’t stop at the theoretical. The dialogue also revealed the systemic issues Nigeria faces in aligning technology with educational goals, from outdated curricula to policy stagnation. Here’s a breakdown of key takeaways from the discussion:

AI in Nigeria’s Education: A Vision for Transformation

Olusola Aina opened the session by emphasising AI’s transformative potential to address outdated curricula, funding constraints, and teacher shortages in Nigeria’s educational landscape. Drawing from global AI initiatives, Aina painted a picture of AI-powered education that can support Nigeria’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 on education.

However, discussants made it clear: AI is not a magic bullet. It requires careful integration, robust policy frameworks, and ethical considerations to ensure that AI enhances learning rather than replacing the human aspect of teaching. This was echoed by Abosede Abimbola-David, who stressed the importance of training educators to effectively use AI tools before diving into implementation.

The Ethical and Practical Challenges of AI Integration

One of the most pressing issues raised by Prof. A.B. Sunday was Nigeria’s draft national AI policy. While the policy outlines AI’s potential to revolutionise education, awareness and effective implementation remain key challenges.

According to Olasupo Olabisi, the integration of AI must be done in a way that is culturally sensitive and tailored to Nigeria’s realities. She pointed to the need for AI solutions that resonate with local contexts, rather than relying on Western models that may not align with the educational goals or cultural specifics of Nigeria.

“The AI tools we implement must be locally relevant. They cannot just be imported solutions with no regard for Nigeria’s educational framework and cultural nuances,” he noted.

Modernising Nigeria’s Curriculum with AI

The integration of AI-driven curriculum review was a key point of discussion. Olusola Aina called for urgent updates to the Nigerian curriculum to include emerging fields such as data science, AI ethics, and machine learning — fields that are already being taught in other high-performing education systems like Finland and Singapore.

But the question arose: How can AI help modernise the curriculum in a country where the education system is severely underfunded, and the curriculum is outdated? Babs Oladele, Executive Director of LRF, stressed the importance of policy-driven alignment to ensure that the curriculum keeps pace with the rapid development of AI technologies.

The group agreed that AI should enhance the curriculum, but must be accompanied by human oversight to avoid the risks associated with AI-generated content, which might go unchecked without peer review or ethical boundaries.

Bridging the Gap: Localising AI for Nigerian Schools

Despite the promise of AI, participants also acknowledged the lag in infrastructure and digital literacy that hampers effective AI integration. Olasupo Olabisi reflected on Nigeria’s poor IT infrastructure and the lack of high-speed internet in rural schools. This underscores the importance of investing in technology infrastructure, including Wi-Fi access, training for teachers, and digital literacy programmes for students.

Samson Dawodu echoed these concerns, pointing to Nigeria’s weak educational technology framework, which he compared unfavourably with countries like China, where grassroots AI development has led to significant improvements in their educational systems.

“AI cannot thrive on outdated infrastructure. We need to create the digital ecosystem for AI to flourish,” said Dawodu.

The Road Ahead: Ensuring AI Benefits All Students

At the heart of the discussion was the fundamental question: How can AI truly benefit Nigerian students and educators?

The experts agreed that AI should complement the teacher-student relationship, not replace it. It must be a tool for personalised learning, where data analytics help teachers understand students’ needs, strengths, and weaknesses. However, data privacy, ethical concerns, and oversight must always be at the forefront of AI use in classrooms.

As Prof. A.B. Sunday emphasised, the educational system must take collective responsibility to ensure that AI doesn’t widen existing inequalities. For AI to be successfully implemented in Nigeria, it must:

• Reflect local realities and needs
• Empower educators with the right training
• Encourage ethical AI that is grounded in transparency and data protection
• Incorporate cultural sensitivity in both the curriculum and its delivery

Conclusion: Moving from Policy to Practice

The dialogue closed with clear action steps, including the urgent need for:

• Widespread AI training for educators
• Greater government investment in educational technology
• Development of ethical guidelines for AI in education
• Collaboration between government, tech companies, and educators to develop context-specific solutions

As Babs Oladele concluded, “Nigeria’s educational landscape cannot afford to ignore the potential of AI, but we must implement it in a way that is aligned with our own realities.”