Nigeria’s efforts to compete in the global artificial intelligence (AI) industry are being hampered by unreliable electricity, inadequate internet connectivity and restricted access to advanced computing chips and cloud infrastructure, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, has said.
Tijani made the disclosure through the National Director of the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), Dr Olubunmi Ajala, at the inaugural Africa AI infrastructure conference, Build 2026.
He stressed that Nigeria must close critical infrastructure gaps and expand access to computing resources if it hopes to develop and deploy AI technologies competitively in the rapidly changing global market.
The minister also pointed to the speed at which semiconductor technology is advancing, warning that the frequent introduction of new chips makes it difficult for Nigeria to keep up with developments in the industry.
“Every three or six months, NVIDIA releases different kinds of chips, and by the time Nigeria decides to get them, it is behind,” he said.
Tijani further highlighted supply constraints in the global AI infrastructure market, explaining that demand for computing equipment had risen to the point where major cloud service providers were placing orders years ahead of delivery.
He noted that even chip manufacturers could struggle to fulfil the volume of orders already placed by major technology companies.
“If you talk about the supply, the hyperscalers have placed orders for two years that even the chip makers may not be able to meet. But when you look at all of them, there is one part where the challenge remains, and that is the infrastructure,” the minister said.
To address the electricity challenge, Tijani disclosed that the Federal Government was proposing the development of a data park close to the Egbin Power Station in Lagos State.
He explained that the project would seek to utilise about 60 per cent of the power station’s reported unused capacity to support data centre operations and strengthen the infrastructure needed for AI development.
“We are going to build a data park in Egbin, where you can still get about 60 per cent unutilised capacity of power to generate or to support it. But we are not only building for Nigeria, but we are also building for Africa,” he said.
According to the minister, the proposed facility is expected to serve Nigeria and Togo, while contributing to the expansion of digital infrastructure across West Africa.
The conference, Build 2026, was organised by the AI Collective, a coalition comprising Lagos Business School, Data Science Nigeria at Pan Atlantic University, the Centre for Journalism, Innovation and Development, and NCAIR, which operates under the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy.
The discussions highlighted the importance of reliable power, stronger connectivity and access to advanced computing infrastructure in positioning Nigeria to benefit from the growing AI industry.