AI and crowdsourcing now feed Nigeria's food price statistics

The World Bank's evaluation office confirmed that Nigeria's statistics bureau now collects food price data with artificial intelligence and crowdsourcing, which it did not use in 2018.

  • 2 for an organization

    The evaluators verified that the bureau moved from no AI-based food price collection in 2018 to using such methods by 2025, a change in capability, though no figure for data quality, cost or timeliness is given.

Depth runs from 1, a convenience or time saved, to 5, a life or a livelihood preserved.

Status
Reported benefit.
Evidence

foundstudiedreportedclaimed

An independent evaluation report supports the benefit.

Size

No magnitude yet: duration and distribution are not documented.

Compared with

The May 2018 baseline, when the bureau used no artificial intelligence methods for food price data collection. Measured.

The system’s part
Not isolated. The evaluators confirm that the bureau uses artificial intelligence and crowdsourcing to collect food price data, as the indicator required. They do not describe the method, the model or the data it produces. They make no comparison with the bureau's earlier price collection. Neither document shows that the system learns from data.
Not yet checked
LimitsCosts and harmsLearns from dataLater outcome

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Benefit type
Increased Scalability
System
AI-based food price data collection system with crowdsourcing of the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria (not named in the review)
Made by
Not named in the review
Used by
National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria
Where
Nigeria
Stage
In routine use
Date
Kind
Benefit created
Broad benefit
Operational improvement (faster data management, decision-making)
Collections
Scrutiny and findings
Last revised
1 November 2026

Sources

  1. Evaluation report, by authors with no tie to the system.

    World Bank Independent Evaluation Group. Implementation Completion Report (ICR) Review: Nigeria Fiscal Governance and Institutions Project (P163540), ICRR0024926, 28 May 2026.

    Alternative methods of food price data collection using artificial intelligence (AI) and crowdsourcing are used by NBS.

  2. Report, by an evaluator that the makers or users commissioned.

    World Bank. Implementation Completion and Results Report: Nigeria Fiscal Governance and Institutions Project (P163540). ICR00562, 24 December 2025. The Bank's own completion report, which the Independent Evaluation Group reviewed.

    a real-time dashboard that is publicly available and updated at least twice weekly, covering 180 markets (at least 40% rural) in 6 states (30 per state)

Details

AI system

Workflow

A performance-based condition of the project required the bureau to use artificial intelligence and crowdsourcing for food price data. Project financing paid for survey methodology, data quality monitoring and other consultancies for the bureau.

Follow-up

Conditions for replication

Market price data must keep flowing from crowdsourcing contributors in the covered markets. The bureau must keep updating the dashboard after project financing ends.

Entry details

Sector

Official statistics.

Purpose

An unnamed developer built the AI-based food price data collection system for the National Bureau of Statistics to gather food prices from markets through artificial intelligence and crowdsourcing.

31 more questions not yet checked

model, release, provider, role, configuration, inputs and outputs, autonomy, human oversight, AI contribution, beneficiaries, reach, distribution and access, duration, every measurement question, every money question, ownership and control, dependencies, cross-border connections, geopolitical implications, replication attempts, availability, institutional decision, grounds, action and result, success criterion, every evidence question, observed or intended, alternative assessments, related entries, other identifiers, category mappings.

Cite this benefit

Peter H. Vartanian. (2026). AI and crowdsourcing now feed Nigeria's food price statistics (AIBD-1175). Artificial Intelligence Benefits Database, edition of 2 November 2026. https://petervartanian.xyz/aibd/records/AIBD-1175.html (archived at https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/AADSII, version 9.0)

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