Nigeria ranks 15th in the 2026 Commonwealth Youth AI Readiness Index, with a study projecting up to $7.85bn in potential GDP gains from AI over 10 years
Nigeria Ranks 15th In Commonwealth AI Readiness Index
Nigeria has emerged among the Commonwealth’s 15 most AI-ready countries for young people, with a new international study projecting that artificial intelligence could add as much as $7.85bn to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) over the next decade.
The findings, contained in the inaugural 2026 Commonwealth Youth AI Readiness Index released by the Ayre Think Tank, place Nigeria 15th among 56 Commonwealth countries, making it one of only three African nations to meet the study’s youth artificial intelligence readiness benchmark.
Nigeria scored 54.5 points out of 100, narrowly exceeding the benchmark of 53 points. Mauritius, which ranked eighth with 64.4 points, and South Africa, ranked 13th with 56.8 points, were the other African countries to cross the threshold.
The report, unveiled at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda, assessed the conditions shaping the ability of young people to benefit from artificial intelligence across all 56 member countries.
The study draws on 1,128 research sources and examines opportunities and challenges facing approximately 732 million young people aged 15 to 29 across the Commonwealth.
For Nigeria, which has an estimated 65.7 million people within that age group, the findings highlight strong enthusiasm for artificial intelligence, alongside significant gaps in digital skills and workforce preparedness.
According to the report, about 90 per cent of young Nigerian respondents expect to use AI for education or work within the following year, the highest proportion recorded among countries covered by the Index.
The study also found that 67.8 per cent of Nigerian respondents felt confident controlling their interactions with the technology, while the country scored 8.7 out of 10 in the Index’s motivation and confidence category.
Nigeria also recorded strong performance in work-based learning, with approximately 84 out of every 1,000 young people participating in apprenticeships, internships or traineeships. This was the highest rate among the 31 Commonwealth countries with comparable data.
In another finding, 47.8 per cent of Nigerian university students aged 18 to 29 who already used ChatGPT said they often or always relied on the platform to find information for research papers, the highest proportion among countries included in that particular comparison.
However, the report warned that Nigeria’s enthusiasm for artificial intelligence was not matched by sufficient technical capacity.
The country scored just 0.8 out of 10 for digital, data, media and AI capability under the Index’s selected measures. The assessment relied largely on household survey indicators of conventional computer skills, including installing software and writing computer programmes, rather than directly measuring young people’s current ability to use AI tools.
The study also identified widespread informal employment and limited representation of people aged 25 to 29 in high-skilled occupations as obstacles to translating technological enthusiasm into sustainable economic opportunities.
It warned that Nigeria must bridge the gap between interest in artificial intelligence and practical skills development if young people are to benefit fully from the emerging AI-driven economy.
The economic implications could be substantial. Using scenarios developed by the International Monetary Fund and applying them to Nigeria’s economy, the researchers estimated that artificial intelligence could increase the level of the country’s GDP by $5.234bn after 10 years under a moderate scenario.
The study’s conservative projection puts the potential increase at $2.617bn, while its optimistic scenario estimates a possible $7.851bn boost over the same period.
Founder of the Ayre Think Tank, Calvin Ayre, said the findings demonstrated the importance of equipping young people with the skills and opportunities needed to participate in the rapidly changing global economy.
“I’ve spent my life in businesses where new technology changes everything, and I know you can’t stand still. AI is going to change how we work, how we do business and how wealth is created. But this is not a race that only the biggest or richest countries can win. What matters is giving young people the skills and the chance to get ahead – whether to start businesses, find jobs or build something for themselves. Some Commonwealth countries are ahead, others have catching up to do. Nobody can afford to be complacent. That’s why we created this Index. It shows countries where they stand, what they’re getting right and where they need to do better. Governments now have to decide what they’re going to do about it.”
Nigeria has already introduced several initiatives aimed at expanding digital skills and strengthening its artificial intelligence ecosystem.
The government’s 3 Million Technical Talent programme, popularly known as 3MTT, is training Nigerians in technology-related fields, including artificial intelligence and machine learning. The initiative expanded its partnership network in March 2026.
In August, the Federal Government and Meta also launched AI Academy Nigeria to provide practical artificial intelligence training, technical support and opportunities for startups.
The government further introduced a National AI Innovation Challenge in September 2026, encouraging developers, universities and startups to develop practical applications using N-ATLAS, an artificial intelligence model designed to support Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Nigerian English.
The Ayre Think Tank said such initiatives could help strengthen local technology development and entrepreneurship, but stressed that stronger connections between training institutions, employers and investors would be necessary to convert digital skills into viable businesses, quality jobs and higher incomes.
The report outlined five priority areas for governments and development partners: affordable and reliable access to technology, education focused on practical skills, stronger pathways from training into employment and entrepreneurship, AI tools adapted to local languages and needs, and safeguards that allow young people to question automated decisions.
It also urged policymakers, educators and development partners to understand the specific barriers facing young people in individual countries before directing investments towards AI development and digital inclusion.
Professor C. Justin Robinson, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal of the University of the West Indies, Five Islands Campus, said young people must be empowered to develop and influence artificial intelligence systems rather than remain consumers of technologies created elsewhere.
“We need to make sure that the next generation will be able to do more than just consume AI products made elsewhere. Access must come with its own agency and a real equitable stake in how these systems are governed. Young people should be equipped to question these new tools, to improve them and to be supported in building alternatives suited to their own needs. Whether that happens, will depend on choices made now. This index gives a clearer view of where those choices are most urgent. We should use it.”
The report, titled The Ayre Index: The 2026 Commonwealth Youth AI Readiness Index, represents the think tank’s inaugural White Paper and provides comparative data on the readiness of young people across all 56 Commonwealth countries.
Nigeria’s 15th-place ranking puts it just above the study’s readiness threshold, with Seychelles occupying the 16th position at 51.8 points and Ghana ranking 17th with 51.2 points.
The findings place Nigeria among the leading African countries in youth AI readiness, but also highlight the need for sustained investment in digital education, technical capacity, local innovation and employment opportunities to ensure that the country’s large youth population can benefit from the economic transformation artificial intelligence is expected to bring.
The Ayre Index: Commonwealth Youth AI Readiness Rankings
The following table retains the published rankings, scores and data coverage supplied in the original press release.
| Rank | Commonwealth country | Index score | Scoring coverage (of 102) | Data Gap Index (of 100) |
| 1 | Singapore | 77.6 | 75 | 37.7 |
| 2 | Malta | 75.0 | 68 | 41.4 |
| 3 | Australia | 71.0 | 76 | 26.2 |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 70.8 | 84 | 20.1 |
| 5 | Canada | 70.2 | 76 | 31.8 |
| 6 | Malaysia | 69.0 | 72 | 29.0 |
| 7 | Cyprus | 67.4 | 74 | 34.1 |
| 8 | Mauritius | 64.4 | 61 | 49.4 |
| 9 | New Zealand | 63.9 | 55 | 50.1 |
| 10 | Brunei Darussalam | 62.3 | 57 | 56.3 |
| 11 | India | 60.6 | 80 | 20.7 |
| 12 | Fiji | 56.9 | 60 | 47.9 |
| 13 | South Africa | 56.8 | 75 | 32.0 |
| 14 | Trinidad and Tobago | 56.5 | 58 | 56.6 |
| 15 | Nigeria | 54.5 | 82 | 17.4 |
| 16 | Seychelles | 51.8 | 39 | 73.1 |
| 17 | Ghana | 51.2 | 73 | 31.7 |
| 18 | Jamaica | 50.7 | 61 | 51.2 |
| 19 | Sri Lanka | 49.9 | 54 | 52.7 |
| 20 | Zambia | 48.8 | 65 | 40.5 |
| 21 | Bangladesh | 48.7 | 84 | 14.4 |
| 22 | Kenya | 48.7 | 66 | 42.9 |
| 23 | Uganda | 47.0 | 61 | 50.0 |
| 24 | Pakistan | 46.4 | 84 | 15.7 |
| 25 | Tanzania | 45.5 | 63 | 41.0 |
| 26 | Gabon | 45.3 | 43 | 67.1 |
| 27 | Antigua and Barbuda | 45.2 | 41 | 70.6 |
| 28 | Maldives | 44.9 | 41 | 71.4 |
| 29 | Cameroon | 44.9 | 54 | 53.9 |
| 30 | The Bahamas | 44.7 | 35 | 78.5 |
| 31 | Guyana | 44.5 | 49 | 65.5 |
| 32 | Papua New Guinea | 44.1 | 38 | 67.9 |
| 33 | Sierra Leone | 43.6 | 64 | 46.5 |
| 34 | Barbados | 43.0 | 43 | 70.5 |
| 35 | Belize | 42.8 | 50 | 65.2 |
| 36 | Namibia | 42.7 | 52 | 56.2 |
| 37 | Togo | 42.6 | 58 | 51.8 |
| 38 | Grenada | 41.7 | 45 | 66.2 |
| 39 | Nauru | 41.6 | 44 | 69.2 |
| 40 | Dominica | 41.3 | 37 | 75.1 |
| 41 | Samoa | 41.0 | 47 | 65.1 |
| 42 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 39.5 | 38 | 72.1 |
| 43 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 39.0 | 37 | 75.1 |
| 44 | Mozambique | 38.9 | 53 | 58.1 |
| 45 | Botswana | 38.9 | 63 | 53.8 |
| 46 | Kiribati | 38.4 | 44 | 66.9 |
| 47 | Rwanda | 38.1 | 60 | 50.2 |
| 48 | Tonga | 37.9 | 49 | 62.8 |
| 49 | Saint Lucia | 37.5 | 52 | 61.6 |
| 50 | The Gambia | 37.3 | 63 | 41.9 |
| 51 | Vanuatu | 37.1 | 48 | 64.7 |
| 52 | Eswatini | 36.9 | 51 | 62.7 |
| 53 | Solomon Islands | 32.0 | 36 | 75.6 |
| 54 | Tuvalu | 31.6 | 42 | 69.1 |
| 55 | Lesotho | 27.8 | 55 | 54.9 |
| 56 | Malawi | 26.3 | 59 | 53.0 |
Scoring coverage represents the number of the 102 scored indicators with a usable value, including permitted estimates. The Data Gap Index is a separate weighted measure of missing qualifying evidence across all 111 indicators.
