African governments are moving from broad digital-transformation plans to national artificial intelligence strategies, governance frameworks and public-sector implementation programmes. This tracker explains which countries have an official AI policy, what each plan prioritises and where regulation is still being developed.
The short answer: Africa does not yet have one continent-wide AI law. The African Union has adopted a Continental AI Strategy to coordinate national approaches, while countries including Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda have published national strategies or policies. Morocco is implementing an AI roadmap within Digital Morocco 2030. South Africa’s 2026 draft national AI policy was withdrawn and is under review.
Africa AI policy tracker at a glance
Country or institution
Current status
Main framework
Key priorities
African Union
Adopted
Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy
Coordinated governance, infrastructure, skills, data and responsible AI
Egypt
Active
National AI Strategy, second edition, 2025–2030
Governance, national infrastructure, talent, startups and sector adoption
Kenya
Active
National AI Strategy 2025–2030
Digital infrastructure, data governance, research and commercialisation
Nigeria
Active
National Artificial Intelligence Strategy
Inclusive growth, local models, skills, research and responsible adoption
Rwanda
Active
National AI Policy
Responsible AI, skills, infrastructure, data and public-service use
Morocco
Implementation roadmap
AI Made in Morocco and Digital Morocco 2030
Sovereign AI, talent, infrastructure, public services and innovation
South Africa
Withdrawn / under review
2026 draft national AI policy
Policy process continues after withdrawal of the published draft
What is the African Union’s AI strategy?
The African Union Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy is the main coordinating framework for AI policy across the continent. AU ministers adopted the strategy in 2024, and the Executive Council subsequently endorsed it. It encourages member states to develop coherent national approaches suited to African development priorities.
The strategy centres on responsible and equitable AI, stronger computing infrastructure, African datasets, research and innovation, skills development, public-sector capacity and governance. It is a policy framework rather than a directly enforceable continental AI law, so implementation depends heavily on national governments and regional institutions.
Egypt: National AI Strategy 2025–2030
Egypt’s official National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, Second Edition, covers 2025 to 2030. It succeeds the country’s first strategy, published in 2020, and responds to the rapid rise of generative AI and foundation models.
The second edition seeks to establish responsible AI governance, improve data accessibility, expand cloud and computing capacity, build a competitive AI industry and increase the number of qualified professionals. Egypt also wants AI applications to improve sector productivity and public services while supporting local companies and research.
Kenya: National AI Strategy 2025–2030
Kenya launched its National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025–2030 around three main pillars: AI digital infrastructure; data and AI governance; and AI research, innovation and commercialisation. The government has also published an implementation roadmap to turn the strategy into programmes and measurable actions.
Kenya’s opportunity lies in connecting its strong technology ecosystem and mobile-first economy to trusted datasets, local research and practical AI adoption. The implementation phase will be the real test: procurement, skills, computing access and enforceable safeguards will determine whether the strategy produces broad economic value.
Nigeria: National Artificial Intelligence Strategy
Nigeria’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy presents AI as a tool for productivity, sustainable development and human wellbeing. The National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, operating within NITDA, is a central institution in the country’s AI ecosystem.
Priorities include responsible governance, local research, talent development, innovation funding and AI systems that work for Nigeria’s languages and social context. Projects such as N-ATLAS also show an effort to build multilingual and multimodal capabilities rather than relying entirely on models developed outside Africa.
Rwanda: National AI Policy
Rwanda’s National AI Policy was approved in 2023 and aims to use AI to drive economic growth, improve quality of life and position Rwanda as a centre for responsible and inclusive innovation. The policy identifies six priority areas and is supported by an AI readiness and maturity framework.
Its focus includes AI literacy and advanced skills, reliable infrastructure and computing capacity, data strategy, trusted adoption, research and public-sector implementation. Rwanda’s monitoring framework is particularly useful because it connects policy ambitions to measurable national readiness.
Morocco: AI Made in Morocco and Digital Morocco 2030
Morocco is moving from digital strategy to AI implementation through Digital Morocco 2030 and the AI Made in Morocco roadmap. The government says the roadmap covers sovereignty and trust, innovation and competitiveness, and practical adoption.
By 2030, the roadmap targets 100 billion dirhams in added economic value, 50,000 direct and indirect jobs, and 200,000 trained or certified people. Its programmes include regulation, sovereign infrastructure, shared digital platforms, national language models, financing and regional innovation. TechBooky has also reported on Morocco’s ministerial leadership and digital strategy push.
South Africa: draft policy withdrawn and under review
South Africa published a draft national AI policy in April 2026, building on an earlier policy framework and public consultation. However, Parliament reported in May 2026 that the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies had withdrawn the document.
The correct current status is therefore withdrawn and under review, not adopted. South Africa remains an important AI market with strong research, financial-services and enterprise capabilities, but readers should not treat the withdrawn draft as binding national policy. The parliamentary record is available on the Parliament of South Africa website.
What African AI policies have in common
Skills: expanding AI literacy, university research and professional training.
Infrastructure: increasing access to cloud services, data centres and high-performance computing.
Data: improving access to trustworthy local datasets while protecting privacy and security.
Governance: establishing ethical rules, institutional responsibilities and risk controls.
Local relevance: supporting African languages, local businesses and public-service use cases.
Commercialisation: helping startups and researchers turn AI systems into scalable products.
Where the biggest gaps remain
Publication is only the first stage of an AI strategy. The larger challenge is implementation. Many governments still need clear budgets, accountable institutions, procurement rules, independent oversight and public reporting. Access to affordable computing power is also uneven, while large quantities of African data remain fragmented or unavailable for responsible model development.
Regulation must balance innovation with safeguards for privacy, discrimination, labour, elections, cybersecurity and consumer protection. A credible policy should explain not only what a country wants from AI, but who is responsible, how progress will be measured and what remedies exist when systems cause harm.
Africa’s AI policy landscape is becoming commercially important for technology companies, investors, researchers and public institutions. National rules will shape market access, government procurement, data use, cloud investment, skills programmes and the deployment of AI in finance, health, agriculture and education.
TechBooky will update this tracker as governments publish strategies, pass legislation, assign ministries or launch major public investments. A country’s status may change quickly, so official documents and implementation announcements should be checked before making legal or investment decisions.
Frequently asked questions
Does Africa have a single AI law?
No. The African Union has a continental strategy, but national governments create and enforce their own policies and laws.
Which African countries have national AI strategies?
Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda are among the countries with published national strategies or policies. Morocco is implementing an AI roadmap within its wider digital strategy, while other countries are at different stages of consultation and development.
Is South Africa’s 2026 AI policy active?
No. The draft published in April 2026 was subsequently withdrawn. Its status should be described as under review unless the government publishes a replacement or formally adopts a new policy.
Paul Balo is the founder of TechBooky and a highly skilled wireless communications professional with a strong background in cloud computing, offering extensive experience in designing, implementing, and managing wireless communication systems.
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