Published: September 29, 2026 | Last updated: September 29, 2026
Key Facts
- Egypt leads Africa at 51st of 195 governments, with a perfect 100 on policy capacity (Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index 2025, December 2025)
- Kenya, South Africa, Mauritius and Nigeria were the top scorers in Sub-Saharan Africa, ranking 65th, 67th, 71st and 72nd globally (Oxford Insights, December 2025)
- Fifteen African countries rank in the global top 100, based on the report's full rankings table (Oxford Insights, December 2025)
- Nigeria climbed 31 places, from 103rd in 2023 to 72nd, though Oxford changed its methodology in 2025 (BusinessDay NG, July 25, 2026)
- South Africa has Africa's highest AI infrastructure score (55.23), but its national AI policy was withdrawn in April 2026 (Oxford Insights, December 2025; CNBC Africa, April 28, 2026)
| Rank | Country | Global Rank (of 195) | Strongest Pillar (Score) | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egypt | 51 | Policy Capacity (100.00) | Dec 2025 |
| 2 | Kenya | 65 | Resilience (69.68) | Dec 2025 |
| 3 | South Africa | 67 | Public Sector Adoption (64.93) | Dec 2025 |
| 4 | Mauritius | 71 | Public Sector Adoption (65.63) | Dec 2025 |
| 5 | Nigeria | 72 | Policy Capacity (80.50) | Dec 2025 |
| 6 | Rwanda | 75 | Policy Capacity (73.00) | Dec 2025 |
| 7 | Ghana | 77 | Governance (66.25) | Dec 2025 |
| 8 | Zambia | 85 | Governance (56.25) | Dec 2025 |
| 9 | Tunisia | 86 | Governance (59.00) | Dec 2025 |
| 10 | Morocco | 87 | Governance (66.25) | Dec 2025 |
Selected Details About Each Country on the List
1. Egypt
51st globally, strongest pillar Policy Capacity at 100.00 (Oxford Insights, December 2025). Egypt released an updated version of its national AI strategy in 2025, and it plans to support 250 AI-driven startups by 2030. Egyptian startups raised about $228 million in venture capital and debt between January and May 2025, up 130% year on year. Egypt also tied for second place in Africa's 2025 AI Talent Readiness Index at 51.80. Oxford classes Egypt in its Middle East and North Africa region.
2. Kenya
65th globally, strongest pillar Resilience at 69.68 (Oxford Insights, December 2025). Kenya ranks 22nd globally on AI resilience, and it is the only Sub-Saharan member of the International Network of AI Safety Institutes. The country launched its National AI Strategy 2025–2030 on March 27, 2025, and the strategy requires Sh152 billion. Startup Genome reports Kenyan startups secured $638 million in 2024, nearly 29% of capital raised across the continent.
3. South Africa
67th globally, strongest pillar Public Sector Adoption at 64.93 (Oxford Insights, December 2025). Its AI infrastructure score of 55.23 is the highest in Africa, and Cassava Technologies launched an AI-ready data center hosting about 3,000 NVIDIA GPUs in June 2025. The weak spot is policy: its score is 43.00, and the Draft National AI Policy was withdrawn after it was found to contain fictitious sources. No timeline has been given for a revised draft.
4. Mauritius
71st globally, strongest pillar Public Sector Adoption at 65.63 (Oxford Insights, December 2025). Mauritius's digital transformation blueprint includes plans for AI and mentions a revised strategy in future. The 2025–2026 budget set up a dedicated AI Unit and an AI Innovation Start-Up Programme. The minister has said Mauritius will regulate AI using a hybrid of the EU's risk-based framework and the UK's principle-based model.
5. Nigeria
72nd globally, strongest pillar Policy Capacity at 80.50 (Oxford Insights, December 2025). Nigeria ranks 35th globally on policy capacity and 49th on development and diffusion. The Gates Foundation is backing the Nigeria AI Scaling Hub with up to $7.5 million over three years, and shared national computing infrastructure hosted by Galaxy Backbone was unveiled in mid-2026. Its jump from 103rd in 2023 should be read with care, because the index's methodology changed in 2025.
6. Rwanda
75th globally, strongest pillar Policy Capacity at 73.00 (Oxford Insights, December 2025). Rwanda hosted the Global AI Summit on Africa on April 3–4, 2025, which adopted the Africa Declaration on Artificial Intelligence. The Gates Foundation's funding for the Rwanda AI Scaling Hub rose to $17.5 million, more than double its earlier $7.5 million pledge. Its AI infrastructure score (33.15) is the lowest of the ten.
7. Ghana
77th globally, strongest pillar Governance at 66.25 (Oxford Insights, December 2025). President Mahama formally launched Ghana's National AI Strategy on April 24, 2026. The Cabinet approved a $250 million national AI computing centre. The One Million Coders Programme, launched April 16, 2025, aims to give a million Ghanaians skills including coding and AI.
8. Zambia
85th globally, strongest pillar Governance at 56.25 (Oxford Insights, December 2025). Zambia launched its National AI Strategy in November 2024. A Google-backed AI Center of Excellence was announced at the University of Zambia in September 2024, and the government estimates AI could lift GDP by nearly 8% by 2030. As of mid-2026 the country has no AI-specific statute.
9. Tunisia
86th globally, strongest pillar Governance at 59.00 (Oxford Insights, December 2025). BioNTech acquired the Tunisian-founded AI firm InstaDeep for £362 million upfront plus up to £200 million more. Tunisia has about 4,120 developers per million people, the highest density among North African countries surveyed in the 2025 AI Talent Readiness Index. Policy capacity is its weakest pillar at 19.50.
10. Morocco
87th globally, strongest pillar Governance at 66.25 (Oxford Insights, December 2025). Morocco has begun preparing the Digital X.0 Law, which would be its first comprehensive regulatory framework for AI. Plans include solar- and wind-powered data centers in Dakhla and Ouarzazate, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2035, and Oracle is preparing an AI cloud platform in the Casablanca-Settat region. Public sector adoption (34.90) lags its other pillars.
Quick Answers to Commonly Asked Questions About this Topic
Which African country is the most AI-ready?
Egypt, at 51st of 195 governments in the Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index 2025. It scored a perfect 100 on policy capacity. Kenya (65th) and South Africa (67th) follow.
Why does South Africa rank only third despite leading on infrastructure?
The index scores six pillars, and South Africa's policy capacity is 43.00. Its draft national AI policy was withdrawn in April 2026 after AI-generated fake citations were found in it. Its AI infrastructure score of 55.23 is still the highest in Africa.
How many African countries are in the global top 100?
Fifteen, based on the report's full rankings table. Sub-Saharan Africa still ranks 9th of nine world regions, with an average score of 28.04.
What does "government AI readiness" actually measure?
The 2025 index scores 195 governments on 69 indicators across six pillars: policy capacity, governance, AI infrastructure, public sector adoption, development and diffusion, and resilience. It measures how well a government can harness AI for public benefit. It does not count AI companies or private investment.
How does this differ from other technology rankings?
The measures differ, so the results do too. The ITU's 2026 connectivity index puts Morocco (89.2) and Mauritius (89.1) at the top of Africa, and the WIPO Global Innovation Index 2025 puts Mauritius first. Egypt's lead here rests mainly on its policy capacity score.
Data Sources
- Oxford Insights, "Government AI Readiness Index 2025" (December 2025), full rankings table. Pulled September 29, 2026. https://oxfordinsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-Government-AI-Readiness-Index-2.pdf
- Oxford Insights, index overview page. https://oxfordinsights.com/ai-readiness/government-ai-readiness-index-2025/
- BusinessDay NG, July 25, 2026 (Nigeria). https://businessday.ng/technology/article/ai-can-drive-nigerias-next-growth-phase-but-infrastructure-talent-gaps-remain-experts/
- The Standard (Kenya), March 27, 2026, and Bowmans, September 2, 2025. https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/counties/article/2001543975/kenya-bets-sh152-billion-on-ai-to-become-africas-technology-hub
- CNBC Africa, April 28, 2026 (South Africa). https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2026/south-africa-pulls-ai-policy-after-hallucinated-citations-expose-drafting-scandal
- Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, and Telecom Review Africa (Nigeria AI Scaling Hub). https://fmcide.gov.ng/nigeria-launches-ai-scaling-hub-in-collaboration-with-gates-foundation-to-accelerate-impact-in-health-education-and-agriculture/
- Regulations.AI (Kigali summit outcomes) and The High Street Journal (Rwanda AI Scaling Hub). https://thehighstreetjournal.com/rwanda-as-africas-ai-scaling-anchor/
- Ghana Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, April 24, 2026, and Africa AI News. https://moc.gov.gh/2026/04/24/ghana-launches-national-ai-strategy-to-drive-digital-transformation-and-economic-growth/
- Levellers.ai and Ecofin Agency (Zambia). https://www.levellers.ai/what-is/ai-regulation-zambia
- Country context: Middle East Observer (Egypt), MIT Sloan (Tunisia), Ecofin Agency AI Talent Readiness Index, EDB Mauritius, Greentimes (Morocco).
Methodology
This ranking orders African countries by their global rank in the Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index 2025, which assesses 195 governments on their capacity to harness AI for public benefit. The index's published table gives ranks and pillar scores but no overall score, so ranks are used. The strongest-pillar column shows each country's highest of the six pillar scores. The index measures government readiness, not the size of a country's AI industry, private investment or compute capacity, so it will not match rankings built on those measures. Oxford revised its methodology in 2025, so comparisons with earlier editions are unreliable.
