- New Study Places Nigeria 2nd Worldwide In Daily AI Tool Adoption, Behind India.
By Our Reporter, With Agency Reports
AS NIGERIA formally commits to a fully paperless civil service, new international data reveals a parallel shift in global work culture: India has taken the lead in workplace artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, with Nigeria emerging as a strong follower.
The convergence of these trends signals a decisive global move toward technology-driven governance and labour productivity.
President Bola Tinubu has issued a sweeping directive to all Federal Ministries and Extra-Ministerial Departments (MDAs) to digitise workflows and transition entirely to paperless governance.
Speaking through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, at the opening of the International Civil Service Conference 2026 in Abuja, Tinubu declared that “the era of manual inefficiency must give way to a culture of speed, transparency, data-driven decision-making and citizen-centred service.”
The president confirmed that 38 MDAs are already operating secure, end-to-end electronic workflow systems, achieving a historic digital transformation ahead of the Dec. 31, 2025 deadline.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF), Dr Didi Walson-Jack, announced at the same conference that Nigeria’s Federal Civil Service has now fully transitioned to a paperless operation.
She highlighted the deployment of “Service-Wise GPT,” an AI-powered tool that has already recorded over 50,000 engagements, helping civil servants navigate rules and processes.
“Our position is clear: AI must expand human capacity, not replace human judgment,” she stated, adding that discussions on responsible AI adoption in governance are advancing.
The conference, themed: “Reforms, Resilience and Results,” drew over 5,000 physical participants from 16 countries, including the US, UK, Switzerland, and Ghana, alongside thousands more virtually. A notable innovation was a “Deal Room” designed to finalise memoranda of understanding with on-site legal support – focused on producing “signatures, not just speeches.”
In a related global development, international studies released Wednesday ranked India first worldwide in workplace AI adoption, with 41% of employees using AI tools daily.
Nearly 80% of Indian professionals interact with AI several times a week – the highest recorded across all surveyed nations and well above the global average.
Nigeria and Vietnam followed closely, with 39% and 36% of employees respectively using AI daily, compared to a global figure where only about half of workers report using such technologies multiple times per week.
Researchers noted that widespread AI integration is automating repetitive tasks, boosting engagement, and lowering stress among daily users.
Back in Abuja, President Tinubu underscored that Nigeria’s digital infrastructure drive, dubbed Project BRIDGE (Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth) – recently presented at the Africa CEO Forum in Rwanda – aims to support jobs, innovation, and public service efficiency.
He also noted that a Personnel Audit and Skills Gap Analysis is nearing completion to ensure civil servants possess the required digital competencies.
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, commended the reforms, revealing a strengthened partnership that has already yielded over $1.5 billion in new investments in agriculture and infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s Head of Civil Service, Evans Aggrey-Darkoh, praised Nigeria’s progress, cautioning that increased digitalisation requires stronger cybersecurity measures, as his own country has seen revenues more than quadruple in some digitalised sectors.
With Nigeria positioning itself as an emerging benchmark for public service reform in Africa, and India leading global workplace AI integration, the twin narratives underscore a new reality: the future of work and governance is already digital, data-driven, and increasingly powered by artificial intelligence.
