How are Africa’s Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) approaching AI use? Two new reports commissioned by the Qatar Foundation’s World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) explore opportunities for reshaping learning for students across Africa.
While both studies acknowledge hurdles in policy, infrastructure, and readiness, they also reveal that universities around the world are still exploring ways to integrate AI without weakening learning.
The Africa-wide study shows that institutions are already experimenting, despite resource constraints. Both faculty and students are developing practical skills through self-learning, peer exchange, and practical problem-solving.
In the global report, similar patterns appear: educators everywhere are improvising, but are learning in silos and need clearer guidance. This creates a unique window for African higher education institutions to lead as examples for others.
Harnessing AI for Higher Education in Africa
A Study On Adoption, Barriers, and Opportunities
This study, led by The Education Collaborative at Ashesi University, was conducted in partnership with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) and AfriLabs. The report, announced as part of conversations at the WISE12 Conference in Qatar, captures a higher education sector that sees AI’s promise and has the opportunity to shape a new path for adoption that the world can learn from.
The study set out to understand how deeply AI has taken root within African higher education, exploring its current use, the opportunities it presents, and the barriers slowing progress. It focused on four areas: the extent and impact of AI use in HEIs; how institutions and policymakers are responding to AI-driven services; the strengths and gaps in national and institutional AI policies; and the ways African universities could use AI to strengthen teaching and learning.
To build this picture, the research team began with a global and regional desk review, then combined multiple research methods: infrastructure assessments, surveys of 47 HEIs across Anglophone and Francophone Africa, stakeholder consultations, key informant interviews, focus groups, and an analysis of the edtech ecosystem.
The surveys captured usage levels, readiness, and policy environments, while interviews and focus groups provided deeper insight into faculty experiences, institutional strategies, and perceived obstacles.
An additional case study at UM6P in Morocco examined the work of its Digital Ecosystem Office, offering a closer look at how one African institution is designing and deploying AI-enabled systems.
Together, these methods provided a comprehensive view of AI adoption, balancing quantitative data with qualitative perspectives to inform the study’s conclusions and recommendations.
3875
Respondents
47
Higher Ed Institutions
199
Edtech Stakeholders
A TIMELY & ACCURATE PICTURE
Alongside UM6P and AfriLabs, WISE and The Education Collaborative have produced a landmark report examining the adoption, governance, and use of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Africa. Its purpose is to provide a timely and accurate picture of what is happening on the ground, highlight the opportunities and challenges, and provide actionable recommendations. The report you are about to read is illustrative of the distinctive role that WISE plays in assembling multi-sectoral partnerships from around the world to address critical issues facing education policymakers and practitioners alike.
Stavros N. Yiannouka,
Chief Executive Officer, WISE
THE VALUE OF LEARNING TOGETHER
This study reminds us that while AI adoption in African HEIs remains in its infancy, there are already examples that show what can happen when institutional leadership, pedagogy, and infrastructure align with strategic intent. Through The Education Collaborative, we see the value of HEIs learning together. No single HEI can solve the challenges or seize the opportunities of AI alone. By pooling experiences, sharing insights, and holding one another accountable to our values, African HEIs can chart our own path and provide new models for the world.
Patrick Awuah,
President, Ashesi University
KEY INSIGHTS
Fewer Than Half of HEIs Have Formalized AI Governance
Only four in 10 HEIs report having a comprehensive AI policy, with formal guidelines for ethical and responsible use. Public HEIs are somewhat ahead (44% with AI policies and 47% with ethical use frameworks), while private HEIs lag (at approximately 36% on both counts). The absence of robust policies undermines institutional.
Institutional Use is Still Narrow, With Learning Management Systems (LMS) Dominating Adoption
Most adoption is confined to AI-enabled LMSs, where 62% of reported usage occurs, indicating narrow institutional use. Public HEIs show higher uptake (69%) compared to private ones (57%), yet private HEIs express slightly more confidence in their readiness to expand AI adoption (48% vs. 46%). This contrast highlights both momentum and hesitation across the sector.
Tertiary Institutions Are Not Engaged with African Edtech Innovation
Out of more than 414 active post-secondary edtech startups in Africa, HolonIQ data shows that only 45 (10.9%) focus exclusively on higher education and fewer than 2% build AI solutions tailored for HEIs. Most edtech entrepreneurial activity remains concentrated at K–12 levels, due to structural and demand bottlenecks at the tertiary level, leaving HEIs underserved.
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“African universities can collectively lead new models of technological progress that thrive within constraints: turning limited resources into catalysts and forward-looking experiments, while transforming the continent’s diversity into an engine of innovation.”
Rose Dodd, Executive Director, The Education Collaborative
From Left: Professor Eugene K.M. Darteh, Research Lead and Rose Dodd at the WISE12 Convening
AI’s Benefits Are Recognized Despite Limited Adoption
Participants acknowledge AI’s potential to serve as both a pedagogical and administrative assistant, supporting personalized learning and nurturing problem-solving skills. Yet slow educator uptake, entrenched bureaucracies, a lack of investment, and concerns about the safeguarding of academic integrity stall progress.
There Are Limited University-Wide Strategies
HEIs are running pilots, but these remain in isolated experiments rather than campus-wide strategies. Faculty and staff often lack the training or incentives to fully integrate AI into teaching and research, and bureaucratic processes slow down broader adoption. The result is that while enthusiasm is growing, HEIs are still in early stages: experimenting, testing, and learning but not yet moving into full-scale integration.
Yet, Strong Examples Exist
To move beyond fragmented pilots, HEIs will need to adopt comprehensive AI policies, build faculty and student capacity, and anchor every tool in sound pedagogy. Success will depend on treating AI not as a replacement for educators but as a partner that enhances teaching, learning, and administration.
University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) in Morocco is a strong example. It has adopted AI as a structured enabler of institutional transformation. Instead of scattered pilots, UM6P is designing system-level solutions that solve specific pedagogical and operational challenges. The UM6P model shows what is possible when an HEI takes deliberate, problem-driven steps.
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This WISE study in partnership with The Education Collaborative at Ashesi University aims to illuminate both the promise and the gaps in how higher education institutions are preparing for not just for what technology can do, but for what people need. Ultimately, this work is not about AI alone, it’s about agency, local innovation, and tailoring solutions to the lived realities of African campuses.”
Selma Talha-Jebril, Director, Research and Policy, WISE
AI’s Benefits Are Recognized Despite Limited Adoption
This study is a starting point of a deeper commitment to understanding and advancing AI integration in education across diverse global contexts. As Qatar positions itself as a leader in educational innovation and AI strategy, exemplified by Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) instrumental role in shaping the national AI strategy, there is value in learning from and supporting emerging centers of excellence worldwide.
Building on the findings and recommendations outlined here, The Education Collaborative will work with WISE (Qatar Foundation) to engage selected African HEIs on practical pathways for implementing AI on their campuses based on the learnings and recommendations discussed in this study report.
These engagements will generate new insights into how AI can strengthen teaching, learning, and administration in African HEIs. Ultimately, it aims to build a replicable model for how HEIs can serve as the bridge between research and industry, driving the next generation of Africa’s AI-enabled growth.
Navigating Skills Adaptation For a Global Workforce
Global Consortium Explores Connections Between Artificial Intelligence and Higher Education for Workforce Development
This parallel study, led by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in partnership with Ashesi and six other universities, focused on understanding AI’s role in higher education and workforce skill development. The Global Research Consortium conducted a series of studies over 12 months, with Ashesi’s research team focusing on Ghana.
Other consortium members taking part were Universidad Camilo Jose Cela (Spain), University of Pennsylvania (USA), Birla Institute of Technology & Science (India), Nazarbayev University (Kazakhstan), Universidad de los Andes (Colombia) and Hamad Bin Khalifa University (Qatar).
The study set out to understand how deeply AI has taken root within African higher education, exploring its current use, the opportunities it presents, and the barriers slowing progress. It focused on four areas: the extent and impact of AI use in HEIs; how institutions and policymakers are responding to AI-driven services; the strengths and gaps in national and institutional AI policies; and the ways African universities could use AI to strengthen teaching and learning.
To build this picture, the research team began with a global and regional desk review, then combined multiple research methods: infrastructure assessments, surveys of 47 HEIs across Anglophone and Francophone Africa, stakeholder consultations, key informant interviews, focus groups, and an analysis of the edtech ecosystem.
The surveys captured usage levels, readiness, and policy environments, while interviews and focus groups provided deeper insight into faculty experiences, institutional strategies, and perceived obstacles.
An additional case study at UM6P in Morocco examined the work of its Digital Ecosystem Office, offering a closer look at how one African institution is designing and deploying AI-enabled systems.
Together, these methods provided a comprehensive view of AI adoption, balancing quantitative data with qualitative perspectives to inform the study’s conclusions and recommendations.
From Left: Research team, Dr. Ayorkor Korsah (Lead), Dr. Joseph Mensah, and Dr. Joseph Adjei.
