Kenya has been ranked 8th in Africa and 93rd globally in its readiness to adopt and leverage artificial intelligence (AI), in the 2024 Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index.
The report went to note that Sub-Saharan Africa’s general progress in AI adoption has been quite impressive in the last few years, with recent studies projecting that AI could unlock an estimated $136 billion in economic value by 2030 across the region.
“Countries such as South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana are spearheading AI implementation, leveraging these technologies to address local challenges in healthcare, agriculture, education, and governance,” read part of the report.
The whitepaper cited in the report recognized Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and Egypt as Africa’s leading digital hubs that are creating AI-powered solutions to tackle challenges in healthcare, education and agriculture.
Despite all the progress, more effort will still be needed as the continent still lags compared to other markets. The biggest highlight was the promising future that Africa has shown with wider AI adoption, cited as a means to lift millions out of poverty.
The whitepaper goes on to state that Africa represents just 2.5% of the global AI market, valued at $16.5 trillion in 2024.
“Despite this modest share, recent estimates indicate that AI could boost Africa’s economy by USD2.9 trillion by 2030, equivalent to an annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth increase of three per cent. Such a boost could translate into substantial development gains for the continent, creating employment opportunities and lifting millions out of poverty.”
When it comes to Kenya, AI integration into the education sector was credited the most, marking an important step toward preparing a future-ready workforce.
“Kenya is embedding AI education within its national curricula.60 While these initiatives mark important progress, they must be expanded, through tailored public-private partnerships, to reach underserved populations and updated regularly to keep pace with the evolving AI landscape,” reads the Whitepaper.
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions are also advised to embed AI-related training into their core programs, as they are well-suited to learners with practical and job-ready skills at various capacities.
