Get Guardian on Google…Say Nigeria requires $100 billion yearly infrastructure investment
STAKEHOLDERS in the engineering sector including the Lagos state governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-olu yesterday said Artificial intelligence (AI) could play a critical role in helping Nigeria address its huge infrastructure deficit by improving the way projects across the country are designed, delivered and maintained for longevity.
They spoke at the 2026 Association for Consulting Engineering in Nigeria (ACEN) Annual Conference, Annual General Meeting and Dinner in Lagos. The experts argued for deeper exploration of artificial intelligence in consulting engineering towards accelerating infrastructure development and economic growth of the country.
The forum examined opportunities arising from the integration of AI and consulting engineering, as experts and panellists shared insights needed to improve Nigeria’s infrastructure space.
Speaking at the conference, themed: “Infrastructure Development in the Era of AI: Powering the Nigerian Economy,” ACEN President, Mr. Kunle Adebajo, said Nigeria’s infrastructure challenges could no longer be addressed solely through increased funding, but required greater productivity and smarter delivery.
Adebajo said Nigeria requires about $100 billion in infrastructure investment annually, while its infrastructure deficit is estimated at $2.3 trillion.
Adebayo lamented that currently, government spending covers less than 30 per cent of the country’s annual infrastructure needs, adding that the huge gap would require infrastructure projects to be better designed, delivered on time, and maintained for their full life. He observed that this was where AI could make a significant difference, adding that AI was already being applied across the engineering sector through generative design, predictive analytics, drones, computer vision and digital twins.
According to him, generative design could enable engineers to test hundreds of options for road alignments and drainage networks in hours rather than weeks, while drones and computer vision could detect cracks and corrosion.
He said digital twins could help engineers monitor the performance of bridges and dams and predict maintenance requirements before failures occur.
The ACEN president, however, stressed that AI would not replace professional responsibility, noting that growing availability of automated calculations, drawings and analysis would shift the value of consulting engineers from merely producing technical outputs to exercising professional judgment, verifying results and accepting responsibility for decisions.
“When an AI model can’t quite work, the court of law and the general public will not summon the software. It will summon us,” he said.
Adebajo also pointed to what he described as an important irony: AI may help power Nigeria’s infrastructure development, but AI itself depends on infrastructure.
According to him, data centres powering AI require reliable electricity, cooling systems, fibre networks, roads and other physical infrastructure.
“So if Nigeria wants AI to power the economy, someone must design the power, the fibre, the facilities and power AI,” he said.
He announced that ACEN would establish a task force on AI and consulting engineering to promote responsible AI use, including confidentiality, verification, professional liability and disclosure to clients.
The association, he added, would also integrate AI into its training and continuing professional development programmes to help consulting engineering firms build the capacity needed for an increasingly technology-driven infrastructure sector.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the General Manager/Chief Executive Officer, of the Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC), Tokunbo Ajanaku, advised consulting engineers to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) while ensuring that the technology does not replace professional engineering judgment, competence and accountability.
Sanwo-Olu, pointed out that AI could help engineers predict traffic patterns, assess structural conditions, detect potential defects, improve construction safety and plan infrastructure maintenance more effectively.
He said the technology was particularly important for Lagos, where the huge volume of daily movement places enormous demands on infrastructure.
Specifically, he said, AI offers opportunities to reduce costs, improve safety and maximise limited public resources, but cannot compensate for poor project preparation, weak supervision or lack of professional accountability.
“Artificial intelligence is a tool, not a substitute for engineering judgment, engineering capacity and foundational engineering education,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu highlighted the need to localise imported technologies to suit Nigeria’s peculiar environment, urging consulting engineers, universities and technology companies to develop home-grown solutions
The governor charged professional bodies to develop practical standards for responsible AI use in engineering and strengthening training for younger engineers.
He further said Nigeria’s infrastructure future would depend not merely on how quickly it adopts AI, but on how wisely it applies the technology and the standards it upholds.
President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Ali Rabiu, stressed the need for a sustained investment in reliable, efficient and resilient infrastructure to drive Nigeria’s economic growth and industrial development.
He said infrastructure was the foundation for economic prosperity, industrialisation and national competitiveness, stressing that Nigeria must prioritise proper planning, sound engineering design, sustainable financing, quality construction, supervision and maintenance.
Rabiu said the conference theme, “Infrastructure Development in the Era of AI: Powering the Nigerian Economy,” was timely, as artificial intelligence could accelerate infrastructure delivery, improve productivity and support sustainable development. He also urged consulting engineers to play a central role in harnessing technology to address Nigeria’s infrastructure challenges.
