Microsoft has urged Nigeria to move beyond Artificial Intelligence (AI) policies and focus on operationalising the technology to deliver measurable benefits for government, industry and society. Mrs Nonye Ujam, Director of Government Affairs, West Africa, Microsoft, made the call on Tuesday at the AI Summit Nigeria, held in Abuja. The summit, with the theme “From Policy to Progress: Accelerating Responsible AI Adoption for Nigeria’s Digital Decade,” was organised by Microsoft in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and MTN. Ujam said Nigeria had shown leadership through initiatives such as the National AI Strategy, data governance frameworks and regulatory reforms, but stressed that AI innovations must be anchored on fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency and accountability. Also speaking, the Director-General of NITDA, Malam Kashifu Inuwa, said AI was a general-purpose technology transforming all sectors and that Nigeria possessed the talent and capacity to drive Africa’s AI economy. Represented by Mr Emmanuel Edet, Inuwa said trust remained the foundation for sustainable AI adoption and emphasised the need for digital sovereignty, stating Nigeria must become creators of intelligence rooted in local realities.