Nigeria Must Institutionalise AI Ethical Impact Assessment to Prevent Harm, Build Public Trust — Expert By Raymond Enoch
Nigeria must move beyond merely adopting artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and urgently institutionalise Artificial Intelligence Ethical Impact Assessment (AI-EIA) as a national standard to ensure innovation remains transparent, accountable and beneficial to society, digital transformation expert Dr. Gabriel O. Akinremi has said.
Akinremi, a cybersecurity expert, researcher and university lecturer, made the call in a policy advocacy article, warning that while AI is rapidly transforming governance, education, healthcare, finance, agriculture and national security, its unchecked deployment could expose citizens and institutions to discrimination, privacy violations, misinformation and weakened public trust.
He argued that Nigeria’s growing embrace of AI by government institutions, universities and private businesses presents enormous opportunities for economic growth and improved public service delivery, but stressed that these benefits must be matched with robust ethical safeguards.
According to him, AI systems should undergo structured Artificial Intelligence Ethical Impact Assessments before deployment, in much the same way that infrastructure projects are subjected to Environmental Impact Assessments.
He explained that such assessments would help developers and policymakers identify potential risks by examining whether AI systems could discriminate against vulnerable groups, infringe on privacy rights, operate without transparency or create unintended social consequences.
“Answering these ethical questions before deployment allows organisations to prevent harm rather than respond after damage has already occurred,” he said.
Akinremi noted that global institutions, including UNESCO, the OECD, the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the European Union, are increasingly integrating ethical assessments into AI governance frameworks, placing transparency, accountability, fairness and human oversight at the centre of responsible AI development.
Drawing from his experience facilitating UNESCO’s Artificial Intelligence Ethical Impact Assessment Workshop in Abuja, he said participants agreed that ethical considerations must be embedded throughout the AI lifecycle—from problem definition and data collection to deployment and continuous monitoring—rather than treated as a compliance requirement at the end of development.
The scholar also urged Nigerian universities to integrate AI ethics into teaching and research, insisting that future technology professionals should be trained to evaluate not only the technical performance of AI systems but also their broader societal implications.
He said students developing AI applications should routinely assess issues such as fairness, accountability, transparency, data governance and inclusion as part of project development.
According to him, embedding AI Ethical Impact Assessment into higher education would produce professionals capable of building trustworthy technologies that align with societal values and national development priorities.
Akinremi further maintained that institutionalising AI ethical assessment across government digital transformation programmes, university curricula, research initiatives and private-sector innovation would position Nigeria as a continental leader in responsible artificial intelligence.
He emphasised that responsible AI should not be viewed as an obstacle to innovation but as a mechanism for ensuring technological advancement protects fundamental rights, promotes public confidence and delivers sustainable national development.
“As AI continues to shape governance, healthcare, education, business and security, ethical foresight must become an integral part of innovation rather than an afterthought,” he said.
He concluded that the choices Nigeria makes today will determine whether artificial intelligence becomes a catalyst for inclusive development or a source of unintended societal harm, urging policymakers to make AI Ethical Impact Assessment a national best practice.
