Nigeria Joins India AI Summit With MacArthur Foundation

A group of Nigerian experts just returned from India with a seat at the table where the future of artificial intelligence is being written.

The MacArthur Foundation supported Nigerian delegates from seven organizations to attend the 2026 India AI Impact Summit in Delhi. These weren't just software engineers. The team included journalists, digital rights advocates, policy researchers, and civic technology leaders.

That mix matters because AI governance isn't just a tech problem anymore. It's about who gets to decide how AI affects healthcare, education, jobs, and daily life in communities across Africa.

Dr. Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, founder of Rise Networks, called Nigeria's participation a strategic move. She emphasized that these conversations shape economic power, workforce development, and cultural representation for the Global South.

The summit marked a turning point in how the world talks about AI. Countries now treat artificial intelligence as a governance challenge tied to national security and economic power, not just a business opportunity.

MacArthur Foundation President John Palfrey and Board Member Alondra Nelson attended alongside colleagues from the foundation's Nigeria, India, and U.S. offices. Their presence signaled that democratic oversight of AI sits at the heart of the foundation's mission.

Nigerian representatives came from Rise Networks, Blue Sapphire, Dataphyte, Amana Inclusive Technology Initiative, the Centre for Information Technology and Development, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, and the Policy Innovation Centre.

The Ripple Effect

This participation creates opportunities for South-South cooperation between India and Nigeria. Both countries can learn from each other's approaches to building AI capacity while maintaining policy independence rather than relying on Western frameworks.

The real win goes beyond networking. Standards discussed at summits like this often become embedded in national laws and regulations. Getting Nigerian voices into these early conversations means African perspectives can shape global AI rules before they're finalized.

The MacArthur Foundation's approach recognizes a crucial truth: if AI systems are trained mostly on non-African data and built on non-African assumptions, regulations alone won't fix the imbalance. Real equity requires African knowledge, languages, and cultural values woven into AI from the start.

For Nigeria, this summit participation isn't ceremonial. It's about ensuring that when AI transforms healthcare clinics in Lagos or classrooms in Abuja, those systems reflect Nigerian realities and serve Nigerian communities.

The conversations happening now will shape how AI affects billions of lives across emerging economies for decades to come.