Independent Ethical AI Framework Published to Address Gaps in Nigeria’s National AI Strategy

Oluchi Chibuzor

An independent ethical governance framework for artificial intelligence has been published amid ongoing discussions around Nigeria’s national approach to AI development and regulation, as AI systems continue to be deployed across public, commercial, and research contexts.

The Nigerian Ethical AI Framework (NEAIF), authored by Samson Odo, Founder and CTO of NodeShift Nigeria, proposes a practical ethical governance layer for AI development and deployment tailored to Nigeria’s infrastructural, cultural, and regulatory realities. The framework has been released as an open-access preprint on Zenodo and is intended to complement Nigeria’s existing National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (NAIS).

Nigeria has operated under a draft AI strategy for several years, with limited published guidance on enforcement mechanisms, ethical auditing, or operational safeguards for deployed systems. As AI adoption accelerates across sectors such as recruitment, finance, education, and public services, questions around accountability, data protection, and bias mitigation have become increasingly prominent.

NEAIF addresses these gaps by focusing on data sovereignty, bias mitigation, transparency requirements, and accountability mechanisms, while remaining compatible with international governance standards such as the OECD AI Principles and UNESCO’s Recommendation on AI Ethics. The framework adopts a phased approach to ethical AI adoption, recognising structural constraints including uneven digital literacy, fragmented regulatory capacity, and infrastructure limitations.

In addition to its domestic focus, NEAIF situates Nigeria’s AI governance within a broader African context. Several of the framework’s governance components — including phased compliance models and context-aware data protections — align with elements found in South Africa’s national AI policy initiatives, which have emphasized ethical safeguards alongside innovation-led growth. The comparison is presented as a regional benchmark rather than a policy replacement, highlighting areas of convergence in continental AI governance thinking.

Alongside NEAIF, Odo published a comparative analysis of NEAIF and NAIS, examining differences in scope, enforceability, and operational readiness. The analysis contrasts NAIS’s long-term strategic vision with NEAIF’s emphasis on near-term applicability, particularly in environments where AI systems are already being deployed without formal oversight structures.

Both publications are openly accessible via Zenodo and have recorded growing interest since release. The materials have been circulated to international AI organisations, legal practitioners, and policy stakeholders as part of ongoing discussions around ethical AI governance in emerging markets.

The framework is published as an open, living document. Policymakers, researchers, technologists, and institutions are invited to review, critique, and contribute to its ongoing refinement through the public publication record