The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has called on the federal government to integrate feminist and climate justice perspectives into Nigeria’s artificial intelligence (AI) strategy.

Speaking at a press briefing at CITAD office, in Kano, on Friday, Fatima Babakura, Project Lead at CITAD, warned that Nigeria’s AI policies risk entrenching inequality and environmental harm if gender and sustainability concerns are ignored.

She noted that AI, while driving digital transformation globally, often reflects the biases of its creators.

 “Algorithmic bias subjects women to stereotypes, facial recognition misidentifies women of colour, and language models reinforce harmful gender norms,” Babakura said.

On the environmental front, she cautioned that training large AI models consumes massive energy and generates e-waste, contributing to greenhouse emissions. “Many so-called green innovations risk reinforcing unsustainable systems,” she added.

CITAD further observed that AI-driven climate solutions often exclude rural smallholder farmers—most of them women—because of poor internet access, literacy gaps, and weak infrastructure, thereby widening inequality.

The organisation proposed five key measures: inclusion of women and marginalised groups in AI governance, data justice and sovereignty, transparency in AI systems, localised strategies tailored to Nigeria, and recognition that technology is never neutral.

Babakura stressed that Nigeria has an opportunity to build an inclusive and sustainable AI future if it acts now. “AI should serve the public good, protect the planet, and amplify the voices of those most affected”, she said.