AI is transforming industries worldwide, but in Nigeria, the results are different. Nine out of ten AI solutions deployed here underperform or fail. Not because the technology is flawed, but because it was never built for us.

Most AI systems are designed for Western markets. They understand American speech patterns, European healthcare systems, and Silicon Valley business models. But ask them to analyse a Lagos trader’s inventory or diagnose a condition common in Nigeria, and they fall apart.

AI struggles with language. Chatbots misinterpret Nigerian English, let alone Pidgin or Yoruba. Customer service bots don’t understand expressions like “abeg” or “how far,” leading to frustrating interactions.

The gap extends to the economy. Nigeria’s informal sector drives over half of the GDP, yet AI models assume structured economies with formal banking records and 24/7 electricity. A fintech tool designed for Wall Street won’t work for a business that operates on cash and an irregular power supply.

Then there’s infrastructure. AI tools that require high-speed internet become useless during outages. A system optimized for 5G can’t adapt to Nigeria’s slower mobile networks.

This isn’t just about inefficiency. It’s about dependency. Each time a hospital imports diagnostic AI trained on foreign patients or a bank adopts fraud detection tools that don’t recognize local scam patterns, we hand over control to systems that don’t understand us.

As DO2's very own Engr. Martins Obinna puts it,

"We must ensure AI works for us, is built by us, and serves us, thereby reshaping Nigeria’s future on our own terms."

In his message, he warns that using foreign AI in Nigeria is like wearing another man’s shoes; they’ll chafe, slow you down, and eventually make you bleed. The AI revolution is still in its early days. Nigeria isn’t behind yet, but we risk being left out. The time to act is now.

First, we must build AI with local data that trains it on Nigerian speech patterns, industry needs, and consumer behaviour. AI is only as smart as the data it learns from. If that data doesn’t reflect Nigeria, the results will never be accurate.

Next, businesses must demand context-aware AI, not generic solutions built for other markets. It’s time to prioritize tools that truly understand our challenges.

Finally, we need to invest in homegrown talent. The engineers and developers who will solve these challenges aren’t in California. They’re in Lagos, Abuja, and Enugu, ready to create AI that speaks "Naija."

The 90% failure rate isn’t inevitable. Everything changes when we stop importing mismatched solutions and start building AI for Nigeria.

AI MUST WORK FOR YOU!