Artificial intelligence is no longer an abstract concept in Africa. From health diagnostics in Nairobi to smart farming tools in Accra, it is beginning to shape how Africans live and work. A recent study by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace estimates that AI could add between US2.9 billion and US4.8 billion to Africa's economy by 2030. Yet the same analysis reveals a central paradox: while AI strategies are proliferating, implementation remains inconsistent, leaving the continent at risk of becoming a consumer of AI rather than a creator.
The key question is no longer whether Africa will adopt AI, but how it can do so in a way that safeguards its sovereignty, generates value for local enterprises, and empowers its people.
A wave of strategiesOver the past two years, a wave of national AI strategies has swept across the continent. Ethiopia, Nigeria, Libya, Zambia and Mauritania published frameworks in 2024, while Cte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Namibia, Lesotho and Tanzania followed in 2025 with their own plans or drafts. In total, at least fifteen countries now have national AI strategies, in addition to two continental frameworks.