The chief executive officer (CEO) of Smartcomply, Gbemisola Osunrinde, says Nigeria’s inability to store locally generated data limits developers.

Ms Osunrinde said this in an interview with journalists in Lagos on Saturday.

The company operates as Smartcomply Technology Solutions Limited, a Nigerian technology company specialising in cybersecurity, data protection, regulatory compliance and AI-driven solutions.

Ms Osunrinde said the difficulty in consolidating and organising local data was hindering developers from building original AI products tailored to the country’s needs.

This, according to her, was forcing many to rely on foreign-developed models and technologies.

Ms Osunrinde said that although Nigerian developers had the capacity to develop homegrown solutions, the absence of a centralised and accessible repository of local data meant they often had to build on existing foreign AI platforms rather than develop independent systems.

She explained that the country’s AI ecosystem was evolving along two different paths: the ambition to develop sovereign AI solutions that reflected African languages, cultures and realities, and the economic reality of depending on foreign infrastructure and technology providers.

According to her, developing homegrown AI requires foundational models that understand African languages and cultural contexts, supported by locally generated datasets and shared computing infrastructure.

She said data collected from schools, open markets, rural health centres and other sectors could provide the foundation for AI applications capable of addressing specific Nigerian and African challenges.

“We need to have a central point where we put all this information, aggregating local datasets from African schools to open markets and rural health clinics, basically ensuring that from all angles, we are getting all this information,” she said.

Ms Osunrinde stressed that data localisation was critical to achieving this objective, noting that keeping locally generated information within the country would help build a repository that indigenous developers could access to create relevant solutions.

She also identified inadequate electricity, limited access to advanced computer chips, insufficient data-centre capacity and funding constraints as major obstacles to developing foundational AI models locally.

The CEO also expressed concern that dependence on foreign investors could influence the direction of African AI innovation, as developers seeking funding were often pressured to prioritise global markets over local problems.

She said that many developers initially conceived solutions to address African challenges but were compelled to adjust their products to meet investors’ expectations for faster returns and wider international markets.

“Developers do want to develop for Africa, but they are constrained. They don’t have the funding, and most of the investors are foreigners.

“Once they invest, they are looking at numbers and want to get their returns immediately,” she said.

According to her, the situation could gradually shift the focus of African AI development away from local languages, markets and socioeconomic realities towards globally competitive products that might not adequately address indigenous needs.

Ms Osunrinde also argued that building African-focused AI solutions would require more than developing applications on foreign platforms, stressing the need for local capacity to develop and sustain the underlying technology.

She called for stronger collaboration between the government and the private sector to provide funding, infrastructure and an enabling environment for indigenous AI developers.

She suggested that government-backed innovation programmes and private-sector sponsorships could identify promising developers and support them in building practical AI products.

However, she cautioned that such interventions must go beyond competitions, grants and one-off training programmes to include sustained funding, mentorship and market access.

“The major problem is not only funding them to develop that thing, but also retaining them.

“There should be continuity, where they are able to keep funding them and keep them developing something for the country,” she said.

Ms Osunrinde further urged government institutions to become early adopters of locally developed AI products, identifying the military, police, anti-corruption agencies and hospitals as institutions that could provide practical testing grounds for indigenous solutions.

She explained that government adoption would create an initial market for local developers, build public confidence in Nigerian AI products and encourage further innovation.

On the potential applications of homegrown AI, she said locally sourced and properly organised datasets could enable developers to create solutions for agriculture, healthcare, education and other critical sectors.

She maintained that the challenge was not necessarily a lack of innovative ideas or technical talent but the absence of accessible local datasets and the infrastructure required to translate those ideas into functional products.

Ms Osunrinde argued that Nigeria could attract more foreign investors and strategic partners by developing AI solutions capable of providing reliable insights into African markets, which international companies might otherwise struggle to access.

She cited countries such as China as examples of markets where locally developed technologies and solutions played significant roles in the domestic economy.

She added that Nigeria could leverage its position to develop AI solutions that could subsequently be expanded across other African countries.

Ms Osunrinde, therefore, advocated a shift in national AI development priorities from concentrating predominantly on training programmes to supporting existing trainees in developing, commercialising and deploying practical products.

She said such a transition would help Nigeria move from being primarily a consumer of foreign AI technologies to becoming a producer of solutions capable of attracting investment, creating economic opportunities and addressing local challenges.

 (NAN)