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Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming economies and workplaces around the world. In this wave of innovation, Africa countries including Nigeria has begun to stake its claim not just as a rising adopter of AI tools-but as a leader in workforce readiness, where employees are being trained and empowered to use AI effectively. Recent industry data shows Africa outperforming other regions on several measures of AI preparedness, even as broader national AI readiness varies across the continent.
Explaining The Claim In Workforce Readiness:
A new global survey from the Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) AI Radar report found that African organizations-in aggregate-showed some of the highest rates of AI upskilling of employees among the regions surveyed.
- 55% of the workforce in African organizations surveyed have already received AI upskilling-the highest proportion globally among the regions included in the study-a surprising and notable result for a continent often seen as an early adopter rather than a leader.
- African CEOs are highly engaged in AI strategy, with 72% saying they are the main decision-makers on AI initiatives, and many planning significant AI investments in 2026.
This doesn’t mean Africa is the single most dominant region in all aspects of AI, but in this particular measure-workforce readiness-Africa is outperforming other regions represented in the BCG sample.
Where Workforce Readiness Fits Into the Bigger Picture
“Workforce readiness” looks specifically at how prepared employees are to adopt and use AI tools effectively: training participation, organizational support, learning culture, and alignment between leadership and employees on AI priorities.
This is different from other types of AI rankings, such as:
- Government AI Readiness-how governments are prepared to implement AI in public services.
- AI Talent Readiness-the depth and quality of technical skills available in a country.
- Innovation ecosystem strength-including startups, research output, and infrastructure.
So while Africa leads in training and adoption momentum in certain surveys, other indices show a more nuanced landscape.
Government AI Readiness — How African Countries Rank Globally
One of the most cited measures for country-level AI preparedness is the 2025 Global Government AI Readiness Index published by Oxford Insights, which evaluates how ready governments are to implement AI responsibly and at scale.
Here is how selected African countries global performance in that index;
- Kenya — 65th globally
- South Africa — 67th globally
- Mauritius — 71st globally
- Nigeria — 72nd globally
- Rwanda — 75th globally
- Ghana — 85th globally
- Morocco — 87th globally
- Algeria — 96th globally
- Senegal — 97th globally
- Tunisia — 99th globally
These rankings demonstrate that several African countries-including Nigeria-now appear in the global top 100 for government AI readiness, which takes into account:
- AI policy framework and strategy
- Digital infrastructure
- Public sector adoption
- Governance and ethics frameworks
- Skills development and diffusion
Nigeria’s 72nd position globally and 4th in Sub-Saharan Africa-reflects tangible progress driven by recent AI policy initiatives and expanding AI talent pools
Nigeria’s Journey: Strengths and Gaps
Nigeria’s positioning in the readiness index highlights several key strengths:
Rapid Progress
- Nigeria climbed 31 places from its 2023 position, signaling strong momentum in national AI policy and strategy execution.
Strong Policy Performance
- In specific index components, Nigeria ranked 35th globally for AI policy capacity — evidence of concrete strategy development — and 49th for development and diffusion (reflecting innovation and skills spread).
Leadership Commitment
- Initiatives such as the Nigeria AI Scaling Hub and a National AI Centre of Excellence have been launched, demonstrating political and institutional backing for AI ecosystem development.
Challenges Remain
Despite its progress, Nigeria-like many African countries-must address enduring issues such as:
- Limited AI infrastructure
- Uneven public sector adoption
- Foundational challenges in digital access and electricity
AI Talent Readiness Within Africa
Another lens on AI capacity is AI talent-the skills available in the workforce itself.
According to the AI Talent Readiness Index 2025, which assesses skills, infrastructure, and education:
- South Africa, Tunisia, and Egypt lead Africa in talent readiness.
- Nigeria ranked 18th out of 54 African countries in AI talent capacity — indicating a need for deeper investment in skills training and education to close gaps with the leaders.
This underscores that while workforce readiness and adoption momentum are strong in certain measures, the underlying talent ecosystem is still developing.
What This All Means
Africa’s rise in AI workforce readiness-highlighted by high rates of upskilling and adoption momentum-is a significant and encouraging story in the global AI narrative. Surveys like BCG’s show that in practical adoption and skills investment, many African organizations are moving faster than peers in other regions.
At the national level, governments such as Kenya, South Africa, Mauritius, and Nigeria now place among the global top 100 in government AI readiness.
However, other dimensions-particularly deep technical talent and infrastructure — vary widely across the continent, with countries in North and Southern Africa often leading in talent density.
Africa’s story in AI isn’t about a single continent-wide rank; it’s about a dynamic, multifaceted rise:
- In workforce readiness-Africa shines brightly, leading the world in some measures of worker AI training and adoption.
- In government preparedness-several African countries now stand alongside middle and high-income nations in global rankings.
- In talent readiness-there is promise but also room for growth, with Nigeria and others strengthening their ecosystems.
Senior Reporter/Editor
Bio: Ugochukwu is a freelance journalist and Editor at AIbase.ng, with a strong professional focus on investigative reporting. He holds a degree in Mass Communication and brings extensive experience in news gathering, reporting, and editorial writing. With over a decade of active engagement across diverse news sources, he contributes in-depth analytical, practical, and expository articles that explore artificial intelligence and its real-world impact. His seasoned newsroom experience and well-established information networks provide AIbase.ng with credible, timely, and high-quality coverage of emerging AI developments.