Nigeria has been ranked 72nd globally in artificial intelligence (AI) readiness, placing fourth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) behind Kenya, South Africa, and Mauritius, according to the 2025 Government AI Readiness Index by Oxford Insights. Egypt leads the continent at 51st globally, demonstrating Africa’s growing interest and investment in AI technology. Other African countries, including Rwanda and Ethiopia, are also making strides by establishing innovation hubs and fostering AI-driven initiatives.
The Oxford Insights report evaluates 195 countries across 69 indicators, focusing on six key areas: policy capacity, governance, AI infrastructure, public sector adoption, development and diffusion, and resilience. The findings highlight that SSA has made measurable progress in governance, which examines how AI is regulated, and development and diffusion, which measures human capital, sector maturity, and technology spread. Despite this progress, the region still lags behind in AI infrastructure and public sector adoption.
Nigeria, while behind some African peers in overall ranking, showed strong performance in specific areas. It placed 49th globally for Development and Diffusion and 35th in policy capacity, reflecting increased domestic investment, the rollout of detailed AI policy frameworks, and intentions to expand international collaboration. Kenya and Ghana, though more evenly balanced across indicators, also show promise, with Kenya ranking 22nd globally in AI resilience and continuing to attract significant startup funding, including $638 million in 2024 alone.
The report also notes that 29 African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, and Côte d’Ivoire, have AI strategies in place or under development. Many of these plans include actionable goals, with Nigeria publishing a detailed roadmap covering both short-term and long-term objectives. The continent is increasingly considering AI ethics and security, with 14 countries working on ethics frameworks, though only Namibia has published official guidelines so far. Kenya remains the sole African member of the International Network of AI Safety Institutes.
In a major step for Nigeria’s AI ambitions, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, announced the launch of the National AI Centre of Excellence at the University of Jos during its 50th convocation. The centre aims to foster AI innovation, research, and education, positioning Nigeria to improve its AI readiness ranking and strengthen the country’s role in Africa’s growing technology ecosystem.
source: The Guardian