Algorithms and Administrative Justice in Africa: A Case Study from Nigeria

Algorithmic decision-making (ADM) does not always extend beyond constituting Artificial Intelligence (AI). Still, the decision-making component of each is of particular interest when considering intersections of new technologies against public sector responsibilities. Many thematic areas in the public sector may incorporate AI, such as security (facial recognition), identity (authentication), or communication (natural language processing). Yet this research would pose that, given the focus on issues of exclusion and bias in the public sector context, exploring potential instances of ADM and AI, particularly as they relate to administrative decisions (such as those which relate to social protection) would be a worthwhile exercise with a corresponding emphasis on privacy, transparency, participation, accountability data justice and effective institutional oversight. Focusing on a case study from Nigeria, highlighting the use of AI and ADM by the governments, particularly in the context of social protection, and viewed against the backdrop of the pursuit of administrative justice (and data justice more broadly), this article will seek to evaluate the legal and legislative frameworks within which ADM deployments are regulated (or not), and the gaps in oversight that exist.