Rise in digital technology in Africa is driving AI skills acquisition. The swift expansion of Africa’s technology landscape is creating a surging demand for artificial intelligence and cybersecurity skills.

According to the new SAP report released recently, Africa’s AI Skills Readiness Revealed, stated that the shortage of AI skills in African organisations hampers their ability to innovate as well as limits their capacity to win or deliver client projects.

Organisations are re-evaluating their strategies for attracting, retaining, and developing talent to align with the demands of the AI era. The tech skills in Africa are evolving rapidly as many companies find it challenging to keep pace.

“9 in 10 African organisations are negatively affected by a lack of AI skills, with impacts ranging from lower innovation capabilities to an inability to take on, or complete, client projects. and greater pressure on existing teams”.

However, Nazia Pillay, Interim Managing Director for South Africa at SAP, noted that six in ten of African companies are saying AI skills are ‘extremely important’ to their success and expecting the demand for AI skills to increase this year.

“The data is clear. The business impact of a lack of AI skills availability is already evident, with 90% of companies in our research citing negative impacts that include project delays, failed innovation initiatives, and an inability to take on new work”, he added.

In 2025, African organisations are now prioritising skills in cybersecurity, AI development, and Generative AI. Demand for non-AI tech skills has declined notably, as businesses, most especially tech-related, increasingly target candidates with strong capabilities in AI and cloud technologies.

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The report highlighted that 90% of surveyed companies are experiencing negative impacts due to a lack of AI expertise. To address this shortfall, 48% of the companies are implementing career development programs aimed at upskilling or reskilling employees in AI-related fields.

However, most organisations are adopting hybrid/remote work models as it appears to be their biggest tech-related skills challenge this year.

The report released in 2023 unveiled key challenges and opportunities for African organisations striving to improve access to tech talent.

“Our first report was conducted just as we exited the worst of the pandemic impact. At the time, companies were facing several challenges with attracting, retaining and upskilling suitable qualified tech workers, especially in the wake of the rise of remote and hybrid work environments.

This year, the business landscape has been transformed by the impact of AI technologies and the search for relevant skills”, Nazia said.

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The 2024 research conducted among mid-size and large companies in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa revealed that 37% of African organisations provide general training opportunities to employees, while a significantly higher 94% offer IT training and skills development at least once a month. These findings indicate a growing momentum in training and upskilling efforts across the continent.

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