Nigeria has been ranked 72nd globally and fourth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in artificial intelligence (AI) readiness, according to the 2025 Government AI Readiness Index by Oxford Insights. In the region, Kenya (65th), South Africa (67th), and Mauritius (71st) ranked higher, while Egypt led Africa at 51st globally.
The Index assessed 195 governments across six pillars: policy capacity, governance, AI infrastructure, public sector adoption, development and diffusion, and resilience. SSA made progress in governance and development, but gaps remain in infrastructure and public sector adoption.
According to the report, Nigeria performed strongly in policy capacity (35th globally) and entered the top 50 for development and diffusion (49th), thanks to domestic AI investment, new policy frameworks, and efforts to boost international collaboration. Kenya and Ghana showed consistent performance across indicators, with Kenya ranking 22nd globally for AI resilience.
In 2024, Kenyan startups raised $638 million, nearly 29% of total funding in Africa.
The report also noted that 29 SSA countries, including Nigeria, now have AI strategies. Ethical and security considerations are emerging, though only Namibia has published AI ethics guidelines, and Kenya is the region’s only member of the International Network of AI Safety Institutes.
At the University of Jos’s 50th Convocation, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, announced the launch of the National AI Centre of Excellence, aimed at boosting AI research, training and innovation in Nigeria.
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