ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND TOURISM GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA: REGULATORY READINESS, ETHICAL RISKS, AND POLICY GAPS

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly shaping public governance and service delivery worldwide. Against this background, Nigeria’s effort to reduce its historic dependence on oil revenues has brought renewed attention to digital economy with the integration of AI into the public sector increasingly recognised as a strategic pillar of national development. Despite this emphasis, there remains limited sector-specific analysis of how Nigeria’s governance frameworks and digital infrastructures support the responsible deployment of AI in public services. This paper addresses this gap by examining AI governance readiness through the lens of the tourism and creative industries, which are treated as analytically significant sectors due to their cultural sensitivity, economic potential, and increasing exposure to automated decision-making systems. The study adopts a qualitative, multi-case interpretive governance approach structured around a goals–drivers–barriers–risks analytical framework. It assesses regulatory preparedness through a review of key policy instruments, including the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, the Nigeria Data Protection Act (2023), the General Application and Implementation Directive, and the National Tourism Policy, alongside selected institutional reports and industry practices. Three specific cases are examined to illustrate AI deployment within tourism governance: automated biometric border management systems, digital cultural heritage documentation at the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, and AI-driven tourism marketing platforms. These cases capture distinct modes of AI governance, ranging from high-risk state-led automation to hybrid public–private regulatory arrangements. Drawing selectively on regulatory developments in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Singapore, the study finds that while Nigeria has established foundational policies and initiated AI-enabled public services, responsible deployment remains constrained by fragmented sectorial governance, infrastructural limitations, and uneven regulatory capacity. The paper concludes by outlining a strategic roadmap for human-centred AI governance to support inclusive and sustainable digital transformation in Nigeria’s tourism sector.