Microsoft has warned that Africa could end up consuming artificial intelligence technologies developed elsewhere without capturing enough of the economic value they create, as the continent’s adoption of generative AI continues to lag behind usage levels in the global North.
Akua Gyekye, Microsoft’s Head of Government Affairs for Africa, raised the concern in Lagos on Thursday, citing data from the company’s Global AI Diffusion Report for the first quarter of 2026. The report puts generative AI usage among working-age people at 27.5% in the global North, compared with 15.4% in the global South.
Gyekye said the immediate challenge for Africa is no longer simply getting people and businesses to use AI but ensuring that adoption translates into local capability, economic value and responsible deployment. Brandspur Brand News reports that the warning comes as Nigeria records rapid growth in AI usage while concerns persist about its reliance on technologies, infrastructure and models developed outside the continent.
She said African governments and businesses should retain the ability to select from frontier, open and specialised AI models rather than becoming dependent on one technological route. Technology companies, she added, have a role to play by providing cloud infrastructure, technical expertise, cybersecurity support and responsible AI practices.
The economic stakes are significant. Gyekye cited African Development Bank estimates that inclusive AI development and deployment could add as much as $1 trillion to Africa’s GDP by 2035. The figure, she argued, highlights both the opportunity available to the continent and the potential cost of failing to develop the capacity needed to participate meaningfully in the AI economy.
Nigeria presents a mixed picture. A Google report produced with Ipsos in January identified the country as one of the world’s leading markets for AI adoption, particularly in areas such as learning, work and entrepreneurship. The report placed Nigeria’s adoption rate above the stated global average of 62%.
The country has also made progress in responsible AI. In July, Nigeria ranked 38th globally and first in Africa in the second edition of the Global Index on Responsible AI, recording an overall score of 45.93.
But high adoption does not necessarily mean high domestic ownership of AI capabilities. A report published in August, titled Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Nigeria: A Macro and Micro Economic Review, warned that Nigeria could develop long-term dependence on foreign AI technologies unless investment increases in locally developed models, datasets and computing infrastructure.
That concern is particularly relevant as Nigerian businesses expand their use of AI. The World Bank’s World Development Report 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence found that formal businesses in Nigeria had reached AI adoption levels comparable with those in the United States.
Microsoft has previously urged Nigeria to move from developing AI policies to implementing the technology across government, industry and wider society. Nonye Ujam, the company’s Director of Government Affairs for West Africa, made the call at the AI Summit Nigeria in Abuja, organised by Microsoft alongside the National Information Technology Development Agency and MTN.
Gyekye also pointed to LINGUA Africa, a $5.5 million initiative involving the Masakhane African Languages Hub, Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab, the Gates Foundation and Google.org. The initiative is aimed at addressing language barriers that can prevent Africans from benefiting fully from AI systems.
As AI becomes more embedded in government services, financial systems, healthcare and critical infrastructure, Microsoft also stressed that cybersecurity must remain central to responsible adoption. For African economies, the challenge is therefore becoming twofold: expanding access to AI while building the skills, infrastructure, data and locally relevant systems required to ensure that adoption does not simply deepen technological dependence.
