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Google expands AI app builder Opal to 15 countries, Nigeria yet to join

Google has rolled out its experimental AI app-building tool, Opal, to 15 additional countries as of October 2025, offering non-technical creators a simple way to build mini web apps using natural language prompts. However, Nigeria is notably absent from this expansion list.

Originally launched in the United States in July 2025, Opal enables users to create, edit, and share AI-powered mini-applications without coding skills. Users describe the app they want, then Opal generates a functional prototype with editable visual workflows. 

The newly added countries include Canada, India, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brazil, Singapore, Colombia, several Central American nations, Argentina, and Pakistan, according to Google’s official announcement.

Megan Li, Senior Product Manager at Google Labs, expressed surprise at the sophistication of apps created by early adopters, stating, “We didn’t expect the surge of sophisticated, practical and highly creative Opal apps we got instead. 

The ingenuity of these early adopters made one thing clear: we need to get Opal into the hands of more creators globally”.

Opal’s no-code approach, coupled with a visual editor that enables step-by-step debugging and customization, aims to democratize app development by supporting creators without technical backgrounds. Users can also publish their apps online and share them with others to test. 

The platform complements Google’s broader AI developer ecosystem, which includes offerings like Gemini Code Assist, an AI-powered coding assistant available in Nigeria that helps developers with code generation and review.

Despite Nigeria’s vibrant and rapidly growing tech ecosystem – with over 500,000 developers and a strong focus on AI innovation – Opal has not yet been launched locally. This contrasts with Google’s recent investments in Nigeria, such as the “Build with AI” training program developed in partnership with GOMYCODE to empower 1,000 Nigerian developers with generative AI skills.

For Nigeria, gaining access to tools like Opal could further accelerate digital innovation by enabling a broader segment of creators, startups, and enterprises to develop functional AI applications without deep programming expertise. 

The absence of Opal in Nigeria highlights the nuanced pace of global tech expansion and suggests a potential opportunity for Google to address local demand for accessible AI tools.

As AI and no-code platforms gain traction worldwide, Nigeria’s tech community remains poised to adopt such innovations, bolstered by growing government and corporate support. 

Google’s Opal expansion marks a significant milestone in democratizing app creation, and a Nigerian launch would likely be met with enthusiasm from the nation’s burgeoning tech talent pool.

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Solomon Bitrus
Senior reporter

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