AI Readiness: See Where Nigeria Ranks According to Oxford

Nigeria’s ambition to lead Africa’s tech future has met a sobering benchmark. A new global index has placed the country 72nd worldwide in artificial intelligence preparedness. The ranking signals progress, yet it also highlights how far AI readiness in Nigeria must still travel.

The 2025 Government AI Readiness Index by Oxford Insights assessed 195 countries. It measured policy strength, governance, infrastructure, public sector adoption, human capital development, and resilience. Nigeria placed fourth in sub-Saharan Africa. Kenya, South Africa, and Mauritius ranked higher. Egypt emerged as Africa’s continental leader and stood 51st globally.

Despite the modest global position, Nigeria performed strongly in specific areas. The report shows the country entered the top 50 worldwide for AI development and diffusion. It also ranked 35th globally for policy capacity. Oxford Insights linked this rise to growing domestic AI investment and the release of detailed national AI policy documents.

“All of the new strategies include actionable objectives, with Nigeria publishing a detailed roadmap including both long and short-term goals,” the report stated.

Progress, but Gaps Remain

Across sub-Saharan Africa, Oxford Insights recorded improvements in governance and AI development. However, the region still lags in infrastructure and public sector adoption. That gap remains a key hurdle for AI readiness Nigeria, where broadband reach and computing capacity continue to limit scale.

Rwanda and Ethiopia joined the continent’s top 100, driven by innovation hubs built to attract AI funding. Kenya maintained its reputation as Africa’s startup capital. Startup Genome reported that Kenyan startups raised $638 million in 2024, representing 29 per cent of Africa’s total venture funding.

While Ghana and Kenya did not dominate single categories, both achieved steady results across all indicators. Kenya also ranked 22nd globally for AI resilience, reinforcing its reputation as a stable innovation hub.

The index also found that 29 African nations now have AI strategies in place or under development. Nigeria, Kenya, and Côte d’Ivoire released new AI strategies within the past year. Mauritius and Zambia have already added implementation plans to their frameworks.

Ethics and security are now entering policy discussions. Fourteen African countries are developing AI ethics principles. Namibia remains the only nation with published guidelines. Kenya is the sole African member of the International Network of AI Safety Institutes.

Meanwhile, Nigeria has taken a symbolic domestic step. At the University of Jos convocation ceremony, Communications and Digital Economy Minister Dr Bosun Tijani announced the launch of a National AI Centre of Excellence located on the campus. The initiative aims to build talent and strengthen research capacity.