African universities risk being left behind in AI era

Gathoni Ireri, a research scholar at the Nairobi-based AI safety program ILINA, said the lack of AI policies at a national level in several countries was influencing a similar approach in higher education. The lack of unified policies in many institutions meant there was an “unequal distribution of AI use across classrooms”, she said, with individual lecturers and students deciding use-cases in many cases.

Ireri emphasized that it was important for African governments and institutions to evaluate potential risks even as they look toward AI to fuel innovation and improve outcomes in key sectors. “It would be critical to first evaluate, how do students use this?” noting that students used the technology in different ways including to collaborate and enhance traditional learning.

Mungai wa Regina, a Nairobi-based AI researcher, highlighted research suggesting that AI tools can affect critical thinking skills, highlighting the need for relevant policies. He pointed to the chronic underfunding of many African universities affecting their research output, resulting in all but three sub-Saharan Africa universities either dropping down or stagnating in the 2026 QS World University Rankings. The rankings consider factors including academic reputation, employer reputation, and research output. Notably, the three institutions that bucked the trend — South Africa’s University of Cape Town, University of Johannesburg, and University of Kwazulu-natal — have all adopted official AI policies and invested in major AI programs over the past year.

The University of Cape Town (UCT), which rose 21 places to rank as Africa’s top university, launched its AI Research Unit (AIRU) in June last year, and this year adopted an AI framework that addresses the use of AI by students and faculty, including AI detection tools it deems unreliable.

In a continent that needs to massively improve its productivity and create sufficient opportunities for young people in the global economy, the quality of education is crucial. Many students in Africa are alive to the opportunities that AI presents, and it is up to institutions and governing bodies to guide its use and integration in education to ensure the best outcomes.

The generally inadequate funding for many higher learning institutions in Africa compared to their global counterparts, a long-standing issue, is especially problematic in the AI era. Universities need the cash to support research as well as policy development and innovation programs. Allocating more public funds to higher education and research needs to be a high-ranking priority for most countries on the continent.

Rwanda was among the first countries in Africa to introduce a national AI policy, which includes guidelines for its use in universities. But a research paper published in the Discover Education journal in June stressed that “the implementation of AI policy in the higher education sector is still a challenge,” citing connectivity difficulties by way of example.