Rwanda has ranked first on the inaugural African Artificial Intelligence Readiness Index, published by the Smart Africa Alliance, outscoring 54 other nations on metrics including digital infrastructure, data governance frameworks, AI talent pipelines, and government adoption of AI tools in public services.
The country's high score reflects sustained investment in its ICT sector since the early 2000s, culminating in recent initiatives such as the National AI Policy adopted in 2023, the Kigali Innovation City campus, and a mandatory AI literacy curriculum introduced in secondary schools this year.
"We have been deliberate about building the enabling environment — not just the technology, but the regulation, the skills, and the ethics," said Paula Ingabire, Rwanda's Minister of ICT and Innovation, at the index's launch in Kigali.
Rwanda's Irembo digital services platform, which processes over 160 government services online, has begun integrating AI-assisted document verification and predictive maintenance for public infrastructure. Officials say a new AI-powered crop disease detection system is already being piloted with 30,000 farmers.
Mauritius, Kenya, South Africa, and Tunisia rounded out the top five. Nigeria, despite having the largest tech ecosystem on the continent by private investment volume, ranked ninth due to inconsistent digital infrastructure quality and the absence of a national AI regulatory framework.
The Smart Africa Alliance warned that most of the continent's 55 nations remain in early stages of AI readiness and risk falling further behind global competitors without targeted policy action and investment.
"Africa generates enormous amounts of data but captures very little of the value," said Alliance Director General Lacina Koné. "The AI revolution can work for Africa — but only if Africa makes deliberate choices to lead it."
