Professional Capacity Assessment for AI-Driven Medical Imaging Analysis at Radiology Departments in Nigerian Teaching Hospitals

Artificial intelligence applications for medical image analysis are increasingly being evaluated for clinical deployment globally, and assessing the professional capacity of Nigerian teaching hospital radiology departments to adopt, validate, and govern AI-driven imaging tools is a necessary precursor to implementation planning. This study assesses professional capacity for AI-driven medical imaging analysis at eight radiology departments in Nigerian teaching hospitals across Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna, Enugu, and Ibadan. Capacity assessment covered technical infrastructure dimensions including computing hardware adequacy, picture archiving and communication system capability, data digitization status, and network bandwidth; human resource dimensions including radiologist and radiographer AI literacy, biomedical informatics expertise, and data science capacity; governance dimensions including ethics review capability, AI validation protocol existence, and data governance frameworks; and organizational dimensions including leadership commitment and research culture. A structured interview protocol was combined with direct infrastructure assessment. Technical infrastructure capacity was rated as adequate at only two of eight facilities. Human resource AI literacy was rated as foundational or below at six facilities. None of the eight facilities had an existing clinical AI validation protocol or data governance framework for imaging data. Data digitization was complete at five facilities, providing the foundational imaging data asset for AI training. Leadership commitment to AI was high, but unsupported by structured implementation plans at most facilities. The study constructs a capacity gap profile and recommends a phased capacity building programme prioritizing infrastructure, governance, and workforce elements. Keywords: artificial intelligence, medical imaging, radiology department, capacity assessment, teaching hospitals.