FROM INNOVATION TO IMPACT: EVALUATING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly reshaping project management practices globally, yet its tangiblecontribution to sustainable development outcomes in emerging economies remains under-explored. This paperevaluates AI’s contribution to the triple bottom line economic performance, social value, and environmentalsustainability within public and private sector project management in Nigeria. It examines how AI-driven toolssuch as predictive analytics, automation, machine learning, and decision-support systems are transforming projectplanning, execution, monitoring, and evaluation across infrastructure, energy, construction, healthcare, and digitalservice projects. The study analyses AI’s role in improving cost efficiency, schedule reliability, and resourceoptimisation, while also assessing its implications for workforce productivity, skills transformation, transparency,and stakeholder inclusion. From an environmental perspective, the paper explores how AI supports emissionsreduction, waste minimisation, and energy efficiency through data-driven optimisation and real-time monitoring.Particular attention is given to Nigeria’s contextual realities, including data quality constraints, infrastructuralgaps, regulatory readiness, ethical concerns, and capacity limitations that shape AI adoption and impact. Bysynthesising existing literature, policy frameworks, and sectoral applications, the paper bridges the gap betweentechnological innovation and measurable project outcomes. It concludes that while AI holds significant potentialto enhance the triple bottom line in Nigerian project management, realising sustained impact requires alignedgovernance frameworks, targeted capacity building, ethical safeguards, and inclusive digital transformationstrategies.