• South Africa, Tunisia, and Egypt top the 2025 AI Talent Readiness Index for Africa
• North African countries outperform due to strong education and infrastructure
• Central and West Africa lag behind amid major challenges in electricity and connectivity

South Africa, Tunisia, and Egypt are the African countries best prepared to develop and deploy talent in artificial intelligence (AI), according to the AI Talent Readiness Index for Africa 2025, published in April by digital strategy firm Qhala and the research platform Qubit Hub.

The ranking evaluates how well 54 African countries can train, retain, and use AI professionals. It uses 20 indicators, including the number of web developers per million people, access to AI and machine learning education, higher education graduation rates, internet penetration, electrification, data protection laws, and the existence of national AI strategies.

Each country received a score from 0 to 100, based on a weighted average across three main areas: digital skills (40%), data and infrastructure (35%), and government readiness to adopt AI (25%).

South Africa ranks first with a score of 52.15, thanks to its top performance in digital skills and strong standing in data infrastructure.

Tunisia and Egypt tie for second place with 51.80 points each. Tunisia leads the continent in data and infrastructure, while Egypt comes second in digital skills.
Kenya follows with 49.70, ahead of Mauritius (48.00), Rwanda (46.90), Ghana (46.50), Algeria (45.85), and Morocco (43.75). Seychelles completes the top ten with 42.50.

Strong education investment drives North Africa’s lead

North Africa stands out as the best-performing region, with four countries in the top ten and an average score of 38.2. This lead is tied to heavy investment in education. The region has 85 higher education institutions offering AI and machine learning programs.

Developer density is also high, especially in Tunisia with 4,120 developers per million people, followed by Morocco (1,345), Egypt (1,224), and Algeria (477). North African countries have broadly included tech skills in their education systems. Tunisia leads with 71.37% of the population having ICT skills, ahead of Morocco (60.86%), Algeria (58.48%), and Egypt (53.06%).

Combined with high electrification rates and more effective digital governance, these elements give North Africa a solid foundation for AI talent growth.

Other regions show mixed progress

East Africa is the second-best region with an average score of 32.7, helped by focused political choices despite limited resources.

Southern Africa, scoring 35.3, benefits from South Africa’s leadership and relatively strong infrastructure. West Africa has more modest results, averaging 27.6, mainly due to weaknesses in infrastructure, electricity reliability, and rural internet access.

Central Africa struggles the most, with an average score of 19.4. Aside from Cameroon, which ranks 11th overall, the region lags in all areas, especially in electricity, connectivity, and digital governance. Broad structural changes are urgently needed.

Here is the full AI Talent Readiness Index for Africa 2025, listing all 54 countries ranked by their overall score:

AI Talent Readiness Ranking – Africa 2025

1.     South Africa – 52.15
2.     Tunisia – 51.80
3.     Egypt – 51.80
4.     Kenya – 49.70
5.     Mauritius – 48.00
6.     Rwanda – 46.90
7.     Ghana – 46.50
8.     Algeria – 45.85
9.     Morocco – 43.75
10.     Seychelles – 42.50
11.     Cameroon – 42.35
12.     Cape Verde – 41.60
13.     Uganda – 39.65
14.     Namibia – 39.40
15.     Senegal – 39.35
16.     Zimbabwe – 38.55
17.     Tanzania – 38.20
18.     Nigeria – 37.70
19.     Zambia – 36.95
20.     Botswana – 35.95
21.     Côte d’Ivoire – 34.95
22.     Benin – 34.90
23.     Malawi – 31.70
24.     Eswatini – 30.95
25.     Angola – 30.10
26.     Ethiopia – 28.35
27.     Lesotho – 28.30
28.     Madagascar – 25.70
29.     Mali – 24.90
30.     Mozambique – 24.75
31.     Togo – 22.05
32.     Gabon – 21.80
33.     Sudan – 20.85
34.     Burundi – 20.35
35.     Burkina Faso – 20.10
36.     Mauritania – 18.45
37.     Comoros – 18.35
38.     Gambia – 17.20
39.     Sierra Leone – 15.25
40.     Chad – 14.20
41.     São Tomé and Príncipe – 14.10
42.     Equatorial Guinea – 13.95
43.     Democratic Republic of Congo – 13.55
44.     Liberia – 13.10
45.     Republic of Congo – 12.00
46.     Libya – 11.30
47.     Niger – 10.65
48.     Eritrea – 10.45
49.     Guinea – 9.65
50.     Somalia – 8.95
51.     Guinea-Bissau – 5.35
52.     Djibouti – 4.60
53.     Central African Republic – 4.10
54.     South Sudan – 1.40