Nigeria Spends $470m on AI-Powered Surveillance, Leads African Spending

Nigeria has emerged as the largest buyer of artificial intelligence-powered surveillance technologies in Africa, with public expenditure exceeding $470 million on facial recognition and automatic number plate recognition systems, a new report has revealed.

According to the study titled “Smart City Surveillance in Africa: Mapping Chinese AI Surveillance Across 11 Countries,” produced by the Institute of Development Studies, Nigeria and 10 other African nations collectively spent at least $2.1 billion on such technologies.

The report, released in March 2026, examined deployments across Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It noted that average spending per country stood at approximately $240 million, though actual figures are believed to be significantly higher due to secrecy surrounding surveillance budgets and incomplete financial records.

The study found that Chinese firms supplied smart city surveillance technologies to all 11 countries reviewed, with the packages typically financed through soft loans from Chinese banks. A standard package includes thousands of smart CCTV cameras capable of transmitting geo-located facial recognition and vehicle number plate data in real time for AI-powered analysis at dedicated command and control centres.

Kenya was identified as the first African country to adopt such technology in 2014, following the 2013 Westgate Shopping Mall attack. Egypt, Algeria, and Mozambique followed in 2015 and 2016, while Nigeria, Rwanda, and Mauritius joined in 2019.

However, the report raised concerns about the adequacy of legal frameworks governing the deployment of surveillance systems across the continent. It stated that none of the countries studied had sufficiently robust laws specifically addressing CCTV surveillance, facial recognition, or the use of AI. The researchers recommended the enactment of dedicated legislation and the establishment of independent oversight bodies to safeguard privacy and other human rights.

Reacting to the findings, a certified member of the International Security Association, Switzerland, Jackson Ojo, questioned the effectiveness of the surveillance infrastructure, noting that criminal activities such as kidnapping and terrorism remain prevalent.

He attributed the situation to the procurement of potentially obsolete equipment through foreign-backed loans, adding that Nigeria’s technological limitations make it difficult to verify the quality of systems supplied under such arrangements.