AI deepfakes and harassment campaigns target Nigerian women, report warns
A Sub-Saharan African research group warned that generative AI is rapidly amplifying gender-based online abuse in Nigeria, projecting that up to 70 million women and girls could face AI-facilitated harm by 2030, with deepfakes, impersonation and coordinated harassment campaigns as primary threats. Research cited in the report indicated severe psychological impacts on victims of non-consensual image sharing.
What happened
Gatefield, a Sub-Saharan African public strategy and media group, released an analysis stating that generative AI is rapidly amplifying gender-based online abuse in Nigeria, with up to 70 million women and girls at risk of exposure by 2030, including 30 million likely to be directly targeted through deepfakes, impersonation and coordinated harassment campaigns.
Based on Nigeria's projected 200 million internet users by 2030, the report estimates that nearly half of women online could be exposed to AI-facilitated harm. Platforms like X and Grok reportedly facilitated abuse through functionless content generation, delayed moderation, and opaque policies, described as unsafe product design.
Reported impact
According to Gatefield's 2025 report, nearly half of Nigerian internet users experience online harm, with women comprising 58% of victims. Research on Nigerian women targeted with non-consensual image sharing found that nearly 90% experienced depression or suicidal thoughts, with 11 out of 27 considering suicide and one attempting it.
Index analysis
AI-facilitated abuse constitutes structurally violent digital harm, systematically targeting women while exploiting both human and technological vulnerabilities. The report notes that Nigeria currently lacks AI-specific legislation, forensic capacity, and platform accountability frameworks.
Governance controls
Gatefield called for the introduction of AI-facilitated violence guidelines to define and address AI-generated cyber violence, including impersonation and political and social disinformation, and for coverage of AI-generated images, video, audio, and text that mislead, manipulate, or impersonate individuals.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.