Kenya ranks among the best in Africa in terms of nations which are best prepared to harness artificial intelligence (AI) talent, according to a new report.
The report, which was published by digital strategy firm Qhala and research platform Qubit Hub, places Kenya in fourth place out of the 54 African nations with a score of 49.70.
Expectedly, South Africa (52.15) tops the list of African nations best prepared to incorporate AI, followed by North African counterparts Tunisia (51.80) and Egypt (51.80).
The report was based on an evaluation of several factors, including African countries' ability to train, retain and deploy AI professionals using several indicators like education, developer density, internet and electricity access, data protection frameworks, and national AI strategies.
If the report is anything to go by, Kenya has made impressive strides in internet connectivity and power access, factors which have helped the country rank above several huge African economies in AI preparedness.
Despite the encouraging ranking, Kenya still faces some challenges, with one of the most prevalent ones being the country's developer density, which is the number of developers per million people.
In terms of ICT proficiency, Kenya also trails North African nations considerably. For most North African nations, more than half of their population is proficient in ICT. This is despite Kenya leading the continent in social media usage.
This gap alone shows that while Kenya's national AI readiness is commendable, individual preparedness is lagging behind, particularly in the rural areas.
An emerging trend across the continent in terms of AI readiness is the fact that North African nations are miles ahead of their counterparts. This is largely because of heavy investment in higher education and structured AI programs.
Tunisia, for example, leads in digital literacy, followed closely by Egypt, which ranks high in education and developer output. Kenya, meanwhile, is top in Africa in terms of AI readiness.
With many countries in the world incorporating AI technology, Kenya finds itself at a crossroads. While there is no denying the country has a robust digital infrastructure, AI training is not as widespread, something which could lead to what experts refer to as a two-speed economy.
In such a setup, the urban elite reap the benefits of automation, whilst the rest grapple with rising cases of unemployment as AI continues to replace repetitive jobs.
