A Comparative Assessment of Artificial Intelligence Readiness of Airway and Waterway Transport Infrastructure in Nigeria

Abstract

The fourth industrial revolution in the transport sector is being powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its applications to predictive maintenance, smart traffic management through AI and autonomous operations. But in economies of developing countries, the adoption is dependent on infrastructure readiness. The aim of this research was to compare the AI readiness of airway and waterway transport infrastructure in Nigeria. The study employed a mixed methods approach with secondary data from 2015 to 2024 and a survey of 62 transport experts, based on the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework. The data used were obtained from Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Descriptive statistics, factor analysis, independent t-test and multiple regression were used. Results indicate that the AI readiness score for the airway infrastructure is a mean of 41.3/100, while the AI readiness score for waterway is a mean of 28.7/100. Digital infrastructure (β = .534, p < .001), data availability (β = .387, p < .01), and institutional capacity (β = .312, p < .05) were significant predictors of AI readiness. Just 31.2% of airports and 14.6% of jetties/ports have minimum ICT standards for AI. The study finds both sectors to be not AI prepared, but airway shows clear lead in the process. It calls for the need for a phased National Transport AI Roadmap, focusing on digitalization of waterways and integration of data across modes.