Nigeria needs legal framework to build strong AI systems, says expert
Mr John Odumesi, Research Analyst at the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (NCCC), says Nigeria possesses the technical expertise to develop indigenous Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms but should address regulatory and ethical concerns.
Odumesi said this during an interview with newsmen on Monday in Abuja.
According to him, though Nigeria has a growing pool of skilled IT professionals capable of building AI systems, the regulatory framework guiding the development and deployment of such technologies remains a source of worry.
“In terms of skill capacity we have what it takes, but in terms of regulatory capacity, that is where some concern exists,” he said.
He said although the Federal Government had introduced an AI strategy, there was an urgent need to prioritise ethical standards and responsible use of AI technologies.
Odumesi warned that the rapid evolution of AI had contributed to a surge in cybercrime, with criminals increasingly leveraging AI-enabled tools to perpetrate fraud.
“Most of the cybercrimes we see today are AI-enabled, we now have deepfakes, voice cloning and other sophisticated tools being used to deceive people,” he said.
He explained that cybercriminals exploit contextual and publicly available information to design highly convincing phishing messages, making them harder to detect.
“Before now phishing messages were easy to identify because they claim to be wealthy individuals.
“But now attackers study real information such as government adverts or public notices and replicate them with fake links,” he said.
According to him, AI tools are used to analyse such legitimate content and generate fraudulent links that appear credible, thereby increasing the likelihood of victims falling prey.
“These techniques are now more refined. AI uses real context to build phishing messages that look authentic, making detection more difficult,” he said.
Odumesi further said that the misuse of AI in an inadequately governed digital space increased risk of misinformation, mal-information and financial scams.
He said there was the need for Nigeria to establish stricter governance frameworks and enforce responsible AI practices before encouraging widespread adoption.
“We need to put the right structures in place and ensure very strict compliance with ethical standards before pushing for large-scale AI deployment,” he said.
On Nigeria’s capacity to develop AI solutions tailored to its local context, the expert agreed that Nigeria had the potential but required strengthening policies, regulation and oversight mechanisms.
