AI: World Bank, IMF warn of jobs crisis in Nigeria, others

***AI threatens 40% of global jobs — IMF By Babajide Komolafe, Economy Editor BANGKOK, Thailand — The International Monetary Fund, IMF, and the World Bank have warned that Artificial Intelligence, AI, could worsen the jobs crisis in Nigeria and other developing economies unless governments and businesses take urgent steps to prepare workers and deploy the technology to create employment. IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, gave the warning at the Small AI: More and Better Jobs event during the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok, Thailand, describing AI as a “slow-moving tsunami”. According to her, about 40 per cent of jobs globally could be augmented, downgraded or eliminated by AI, with the impact varying across economies and occupations.

Georgieva warned that the technology could disrupt labour markets, stressing the need for countries to understand its implications and equip workers with the skills required to adapt. World Bank Group President, Ajay Banga, said the institution’s priority is to ensure that economic development translates into employment opportunities. “The bank’s entire focus has to be on jobs,” Banga said, arguing that AI should be deployed to improve productivity and support job creation rather than simply replace workers.

He said affordable, practical AI applications could help “a school, an educator, a healthcare system, an agricultural system for small farmers to get to scale”. The technology could also connect the farmer to seeds, fertiliser, credit, insurance and market information. In healthcare, he said, AI-enabled tools can help frontline health workers assess cases and connect patients requiring specialist attention to appropriate services.

The approach, known as “Small AI”, focuses on applications adapted to local languages, infrastructure, needs and budgets, rather than relying exclusively on expensive, sophisticated AI systems. The World Bank’s October 2026 Africa Economic Update identifies Nigeria, alongside Kenya and South Africa, as one of the continent’s leading centres of AI activity. However, it stresses that adoption remains at an early stage and that Africa’s immediate opportunity lies in adapting affordable AI solutions to local challenges.