Luminate: Nigeria Shows Global Tech Giants Not Beyond Reach
Kayode Tokede The Chief Executive Officer of Luminate, Melanie Hui, yesterday praised Nigeria as a leading example of how African countries can shape the global artificial intelligence economy rather than
Melanie Hui, CEO of Luminate, praised Nigeria as a global leader in shaping the artificial intelligence economy during her keynote address at the Build 2026 Conference in Abuja. She highlighted the country's regulators, workers, and innovators as proof that Africa is setting its own terms in the AI field. Hui presented research commissioned by Luminate, which found "imagination and leadership" rather than just patterns of extraction and inequality in the continent's AI landscape.
She commended Nigeria's competition authority for taking action against Meta over data exploitation and discriminatory practices, demonstrating that "global tech companies are not beyond the reach of national institutions." Hui also recognized app-based drivers in Nigeria for securing government recognition for Africa's first e-hailing trade union.
She showcased various examples of Nigerian innovators using locally built technology to serve the underserved, such as providing reliable banking for rural communities and addressing massive crop losses. Hui pointed to litigation in Kenya establishing that global technology companies can be held accountable in Kenyan courts, civil society coalitions in South Africa challenging bulk surveillance, AI-assisted learning materials in local languages aiding children in Mali, and drones extending healthcare to remote islands in Uganda.
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