Sub-Saharan Africa may rank among the less prepared regions in the world for artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, but a technology policy expert argues that the continent is not uniquely disadvantaged and that the popular narrative of an African-specific AI deficit misreads what the data actually shows.
Dr. Jannie Zaaiman, Secretary General of the Technology Information Confederation Africa (TICON Africa), makes that case in a policy commentary titled “Africa AI Regulation Is Moving Fast: Where Is Africa’s Collective Voice?” Published in the context of intensifying global debate on AI governance, the analysis draws on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) AI Preparedness Index and a 2025 report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to reframe the challenge facing the continent.
The IMF AI Preparedness Index, which measures how ready countries are to adopt and benefit from AI across four dimensions including digital infrastructure, human capital and skills, innovation capacity, and regulatory frameworks, ranks countries on a scale from zero to one. Advanced economies average a score of 0.68, emerging markets 0.46, and low-income countries 0.32. Sub-Saharan Africa scores 0.34, placing it marginally above the average for low-income countries and within a narrower distance of emerging markets than the headlines typically suggest.
For Dr. Zaaiman, that positioning matters. It indicates that the global AI divide is less a geographic phenomenon than a function of development levels, and that Africa is part of a broader global cohort still building the foundational systems required for meaningful AI adoption. “The challenge, then, should be described with care. Africa does face real readiness constraints, but so does much of the world outside the most advanced economies,” Dr. Zaaiman noted.
The more urgent concern, the commentary argues, lies not in the index scores themselves but in what is happening beneath them. Citing the UNCTAD 2025 report, Dr. Zaaiman highlights a growing and widening gap between the speed of AI advancement and the capacity of governments and institutions to govern and implement it effectively. Across many regions, including those far ahead of Africa on the index, there is a pattern of ambitious AI policy declarations that are not matched by the institutional capacity, infrastructure, or skills investment needed to deliver real-world outcomes.
The implication, Dr. Zaaiman argues, is a fundamental shift in what determines competitiveness in the AI era. “Announcing policy is no longer enough. Influence will come from those who can operationalise governance through talent, systems, and implementation capacity,” the commentary states.
Translating that into practical terms, the analysis identifies what will separate countries that benefit from AI from those that do not: building skilled talent pipelines, investing in digital infrastructure, developing strong and adaptive institutions, and creating the systems that can convert policy frameworks into functioning technical and regulatory environments. Without those foundations, even the most sophisticated AI strategy risks remaining a declaration rather than a capability.
For businesses, policymakers, and young professionals across Africa, that conclusion carries direct significance. AI is no longer a distant technological trend. It is reshaping industries, education systems, labour markets, and governance structures in real time. The ability to adopt, regulate, and build on AI tools will increasingly determine economic competitiveness at both national and continental levels.
The path forward, Dr. Zaaiman suggests, runs not through catching up with advanced economies on their terms, but through building systems grounded in local realities, including reliable internet access, a growing skilled workforce, and functional institutions capable of turning ambition into infrastructure.
