A note before you read: I am an AI engineer in Nigeria myself, so treat this as a practitioner's checklist. It applies whoever you hire, including me.

What an AI engineer does

An AI engineer designs and builds software that uses artificial intelligence to do useful work. For most businesses today, that means AI agents: systems built on large language models that answer customers, qualify leads, process documents or automate operations, connected to the tools the business already uses.

That is different from a data scientist, who typically analyses data and builds predictive models, and from a general software developer, who may not have experience making AI systems reliable. It is also more than prompt writing. A good AI engineer combines software engineering, an understanding of how language models behave and fail, and enough business sense to know which problems are worth solving.

Seven signs of a strong AI engineer

1. They have shipped AI to real users

Demos are easy. Production is hard. Ask to see something live that real customers or staff use, and ask what went wrong after launch and how it was fixed. The answer tells you more than any certificate.

2. They start with your business, not the technology

The first conversation should be about your customers, your workflow and the numbers you want to move, not about which model is fashionable this month. If they cannot explain how the agent will make or save you money, keep looking.

3. They understand Nigerian realities

Your customers live on WhatsApp, write in mixed English and Pidgin, pay through bank transfers, Paystack or Flutterwave, and sometimes have limited data. Your costs are in naira while most AI services bill in dollars. A strong engineer designs for all of this from the start.

4. They design guardrails and human handoff

Ask what the agent will do when it does not know the answer, when a customer is angry or when someone tries to trick it. You want clear escalation rules, conversation logs and a test process, not a promise that the AI will always get it right.

5. They take data protection seriously

Your agent will handle personal data. A strong engineer can explain how the design respects the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023: what data is collected, where it is stored, who can access it, how long it is kept and how customers can reach a person.

6. They are clear about costs

Beyond the build fee, you should understand the monthly running costs, including AI model usage and channel fees, how those costs scale with volume and how they will be monitored.

7. They plan for ownership and maintenance

Agents need ongoing care as your prices, policies and products change. Make sure accounts, data and key configurations are in your business's name, that there is documentation, and that you know what support looks like after launch.

Questions to ask before you hire

  1. What AI products or agents have you built that are live today, and who uses them?
  2. Which workflow would you start with for my business, and why?
  3. How will we measure whether the agent is working?
  4. What happens when the agent is unsure or a customer asks for a person?
  5. How will you test it before launch, and how will it improve after launch?
  6. How does the design handle personal data under Nigerian law?
  7. What will it cost to run each month at my volume, and in which currency?
  8. Who owns the accounts, code, prompts and data when the project ends?

Red flags

  • Promises that the agent will fully replace your staff or never make mistakes.
  • No live work to show, only slides, screenshots or other people's demos.
  • Unofficial WhatsApp automation that puts your business number at risk.
  • Vague answers about data storage, privacy or who can see customer conversations.
  • Unclear running costs, or costs that only appear after launch.
  • Accounts and data set up in the engineer's name instead of yours.
  • No plan for testing, monitoring or handover.

Freelancer, agency or product company?

Freelancers can be cost-effective for small, well-defined agents, but check their availability for support after launch. Agencies bring more hands and process, but make sure the people who sold you the project are the people who will build it. Product companies that build their own AI products bring patterns that have been tested with real users, and they understand what it takes to keep AI running reliably over time.

Whichever you choose, the seven signs above matter more than the label.

What to prepare before you hire

  • One workflow you want to improve, described in plain language.
  • A sample of real customer conversations or tasks, with personal details removed.
  • The number you want to move, and where it stands today.
  • A person on your team who will own the agent and review its work.
  • A realistic budget range for both the build and monthly running costs.

With these ready, any good AI engineer can give you a faster, more accurate proposal. For the technical background, read how to build AI agents in Nigeria, and for the business case, how AI agents can profit your business in Nigeria.

Working with me

I am the founder of Unovia Technologies, where we are building Lana for AI workspace management, and Iris and Vera for careers and hiring. Before technology, I spent more than three years as a top-selling realtor and led a sales team that generated billions of naira in sales, so I build agents around revenue, not novelty. I am also a TEDx speaker on AI and the future of African business.

If you are looking for an AI engineer in Nigeria to build your first AI agent, see how I work or email hello@palwabuson.com.