The World Bank has called on Nigeria and other developing economies to rapidly embrace artificial intelligence (AI), saying the technology could help them achieve decades of economic progress in just 10 years. According to the World Development Report 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence, countries that invest early in AI infrastructure, digital skills, reliable electricity, and internet connectivity stand to unlock faster economic growth despite current global economic challenges.
The report highlights AI as a game-changing opportunity for developing nations, particularly at a time when many are experiencing their weakest average economic performance in three decades. While concerns about automation continue to dominate conversations worldwide, the World Bank notes that only 4.5 percent of existing jobs in developing economies are at risk of being replaced by generative AI, compared with 14.2 percent in high-income countries. Instead, AI is expected to improve productivity across many sectors, with more than 16 percent of jobs in developing countries likely to benefit from significant efficiency gains.
Senior Vice President and Chief Economist of the World Bank Group, Indermit Gill, described AI as a “lifeline” for developing economies. He explained that countries like Nigeria do not need to build massive data centres or develop expensive AI models to benefit from the technology. Rather, they can adopt affordable AI tools tailored to local needs, helping improve healthcare, education, agriculture, judicial services, and government operations. Gill also stressed the urgency of taking action, noting that AI is spreading much faster than previous transformative technologies such as electricity and the internet.
The report further reveals that governments and businesses across developing nations are already leveraging AI to improve decision-making, enhance public service delivery, analyse complex data, and strengthen disaster response systems. In sectors such as healthcare, AI could help doctors make more accurate diagnoses, while farmers could use AI-powered insights to improve crop yields and productivity. Public institutions could also benefit through more efficient tax administration, social welfare programmes, education systems, and emergency management.
However, the World Bank warned that the promise of AI could quickly turn into a source of deeper inequality if governments fail to invest in the right foundations. Limited electricity, weak internet infrastructure, shortages of digital skills, and poor institutional capacity remain significant barriers in many developing countries. To ensure AI delivers inclusive growth, the report recommends that countries first adopt existing AI technologies, then adapt them to local conditions, and gradually build the capacity needed for more advanced AI development. World Development Report 2026 Director, Gaurav Nayyar, emphasized that nations making these investments today will be better positioned to compete and prosper in the AI-driven global economy.
source: The guardian
