CarbonAI CEO Warns Nigeria Needs Strong AI Regulation

In Short

Nigeria needs clearer AI rules to unlock economic value and attract long-term investment, according to CarbonAI CEO Debola Ibiyode.

What Happened

CarbonAI CEO Debola Ibiyode warned that Nigeria could miss out on AI economic gains if it does not build strong regulatory guardrails.

She spoke at AI Summit 2026 in Lagos, during a session focused on ethical AI use in Nigeria and how to balance regulation and business growth.

Ibiyode’s core point was that AI regulation should not be treated as the enemy of progress. She argued that innovation without safeguards creates risks, and those risks can reduce investment appetite and make AI products less profitable.

She said CarbonAI’s experience in building AI tools for the carbon market shows a shift in what large corporate customers want. Many are asking tougher questions about data protection, transparency, and accountability before they deploy AI systems.

In simple terms, clients want to know if a model can be trusted and how it reached an answer. They also want to know what rules exist to protect their customers and employees.

Ibiyode also pointed to rising concerns linked to generative AI, which is AI that can create text, images, audio, or video. She said deepfakes, which are realistic fake videos or audio clips, are an example of why governments need to move faster on safeguards.

Beyond regulation, she proposed “AI diplomacy”, a policy approach she says can help countries and organisations keep sovereignty over their AI systems and the data used to train them.

Why It Matters

For Nigerian startups selling AI into banks, telcos, and large enterprises, trust is becoming a buying requirement, not a nice-to-have.

Clear rules on data privacy, audit trails, and explainability, which means showing how an AI made a decision, can reduce deployment delays and make enterprise AI deals easier to close.

If Nigeria wants AI-driven productivity across sectors, regulation that protects citizens and gives businesses certainty may be a key piece of the growth puzzle.