By Danjuma Amodu
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, the Federal Government and the scientific community have called for the development of an ethical and regulatory framework to guide the responsible development and application of neurotechnology in Nigeria.
The call was made on Wednesday in Abuja at a two-day stakeholders’ roundtable on the ethics of neurotechnology, convened to examine the profound implications of technologies capable of interacting with the human nervous system for human dignity, privacy, autonomy and fundamental rights.
Speaking at the event, the UNESCO Representative to Nigeria, Dr. Isaias Barreto da Rosa, said neurotechnology was opening extraordinary possibilities in healthcare, rehabilitation, education and inclusion, but warned that the closer technology gets to the human brain, the more fundamental the ethical questions become.
He noted that neurotechnology could improve understanding of the brain, enhance diagnosis and treatment, support rehabilitation and enable persons living with disabilities to communicate and live more independently. However, he warned that neurodata remains among the most sensitive forms of personal information, raising critical questions about data control, meaningful consent, and the protection of mental privacy, autonomy and freedom of thought.
Barreto da Rosa also cautioned that without proper safeguards, neurotechnology could widen existing inequalities rather than reduce them, stressing that ethics must evolve alongside innovation and not struggle to catch up with it.
He recalled that UNESCO member states adopted the Recommendation on the Ethics of Neurotechnology in November 2025, the first global normative framework dedicated to the field, building on UNESCO’s work on bioethics and the ethics of artificial intelligence. The central principle, he said, is that scientific progress must remain at the service of humanity, human rights and the common good.
He disclosed that Nigeria contributed to the process that produced the recommendation through Nigerian experts and the Neuroscience Society of Nigeria, and said the current task is to translate the global principles into national reflection, policies and action.
According to him, Nigeria’s universities, research institutions, medical community, technology ecosystem and young innovators have the capacity not only to participate in the future of neurotechnology but to help shape its governance in Africa. He urged stakeholders to interrogate who benefits from neurotechnology, who bears its risks, who has access to it, whose rights must be protected and who should be accountable when things go wrong.
The National Project Focal Point in the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Adebayo Adeyemi, who conveyed the goodwill of the Minister, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, said the Federal Government considers the consultation timely given the opportunities and risks associated with neurotechnology. He described the UNESCO Recommendation of November 2025 as providing clear boundaries and safeguards for the use, application and promotion of neurotechnology globally, adding that the immediate task is to interpret the recommendations within the Nigerian context.
“What is expected from this two-day meeting is that we are able to put those recommendations in a perspective that represents Nigeria, a perspective that will speak to our realities,” Adeyemi said. He noted that a Nigerian perspective would make it easier to formulate relevant policies and enforce regulations capable of responding to the country’s specific circumstances, while also positioning Nigeria to assume leadership in contributing to the global framework.
President of the Neuroscience Society of Nigeria, Prof. Angela Danborno, said the ethical debate has become more urgent as advances in neuroscience are transforming understanding of the human brain and opening new possibilities for diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, education and human-machine interaction. She identified brain-computer interfaces, neuroimaging, artificial intelligence, neuromodulation and other emerging neurotechnologies as areas with enormous potential, a relevance reflected in the theme of the Society’s 2026 conference, “Neuroeducation and Neurotechnology.”
However, she said the benefits must be weighed against implications for individual rights and freedoms, asking: “Who owns and controls neural data? Who has the right to access information about a person’s brain? How do we protect mental privacy and cognitive liberty? How do we ensure informed consent when technologies become increasingly complex?”
Danborno said the questions are not theoretical but require immediate consideration as neurotechnology finds greater application in Nigeria. She drew particular attention to optogenetics, an emerging technology involving precise investigation and modulation of neural circuits, whose potential to manipulate behaviour or cognition raises ethical questions around autonomy, informed consent, safety, genetic modification, identity and privacy.
She called for Nigeria’s approach to be grounded in its unique social, cultural, economic and healthcare realities, stressing that scientific progress and ethical responsibility must advance together and that innovation must not come at the expense of human dignity, autonomy, privacy, justice and fundamental human rights.
A representative of the Federal Ministry of Health, Ado Danladi, who conveyed the greetings of the Minister, the Permanent Secretary and the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, said the ministry is particularly interested in the initiative because of its health benefits and ethical concerns. He said neurotechnology could play an important role in addressing conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, anxiety and depression, but noted that the growing availability of devices and applications has raised questions about protection and use of sensitive neurodata.
He described the UNESCO initiative as pioneering and said Nigeria has an opportunity to position itself among countries taking the lead in protecting human dignity and maintaining ethical standards in scientific research, assuring that the Ministry will align with UNESCO to promote ethical standards and responsible application of neurotechnology in healthcare.
Barreto da Rosa urged scientists, policymakers, medical professionals and innovators to go beyond asking whether a technological possibility exists, to also ask whether it should be done, under what conditions and for whose benefit, noting that the measure of scientific progress is not only what humanity can discover but how wisely and fairly such discoveries are applied. He assured that UNESCO will continue working with Nigeria to advance ethical governance, scientific capacity, inclusive innovation and international cooperation.
