Ladi Asuni, partner, technology platforms at KPMG has said while Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries and daily life, its growth must be anchored on innovation, governance, and inclusive partnerships to ensure that no one is left behind.
He said this at the BusinessDay Foundation’s recent AI forum, where he warned that Nigeria risks building an AI future that excludes the majority of its population if inclusion is not prioritised.
“Imagine a situation where decisions are being driven by AI, but a significant part of the population, over 60 percent are not carried along. That is a real danger,” he said.
Asuni noted that AI has moved from being a niche technology to a tool embedded in everyday life ranging from facial recognition on smartphones to recommendation systems on platforms like YouTube and Instagram.
He, however, said while its benefits are expanding, so are the risks ranging from biased algorithms to intellectual property concerns and potential misuse for fraud.
While highlighting financial services, Ladi explained how AI is improving fraud detection, enabling alternative credit scoring, and enhancing customer service.
He said these advances can also reinforce exclusion if governance structures and ethical guardrails are not in place, citing the need for local data representation in AI models, especially since many of today’s systems are trained on Western contexts that do not reflect Nigerian realities.
“AI built on foreign data cannot fully serve African markets. Inclusive partnerships must bring government, regulators, academia, industry, and civil society to the table,” he stated.
Ladi also aligned his call with Nigeria’s National AI Strategy, which emphasise developing local talent, establishing deep-tech accelerators, and building centers of excellence.
He stressed that the country’s ambition to be an AI hub for Africa can only succeed if innovation is balanced with governance and inclusion.
“AI comes with benefits, but it also comes with perils. Responsible adoption requires fairness, transparency, and accountability. Most importantly, it requires partnerships that ensure the majority of Nigerians are not left behind.”
Frank Aigbogun, publisher of BusinessDay said, “We can no longer ignore the truth before us: artificial intelligence is not only the future, it is already here.
“Yet over 60 million Nigerians remain offline. That is more than the populations of Ghana and Rwanda combined. Millions cut off from the digital tools that drive education, healthcare, commerce, and opportunity,” he noted.
Aigbogun acknowledged that the opportunities presented by AI are undeniable but stressed that Nigeria’s lack of digital inclusion is creating a dangerous gap.
