Our Impact Areas
Helping Digital and AI Systems Work in Real African Contexts
AI-DDAIS focuses on the areas where digitalisation, data, artificial intelligence, institutions, markets and society meet.
61%of companies report AI skills shortages are already slowing down adoption and productivity.
Source: LinkedIn Work Change / Future of Skills Reports, 2024–2025
0.8%–1%of global AI research output comes from Sub-Saharan Africa.
Source: Stanford AI Index-referenced bibliometric studies, 2025–2026 datasets
The World Bank created the Statistical Capacity Indicator because many developing countries struggle to produce timely, reliable and high-quality data.
Source: World Bank Statistical Capacity Indicator
22African countries have published national AI strategies as of 2026.
Source: African AI Governance Index, 2026
AI Preparedness
Our AI preparedness work is about making sure organisations, markets, and societies are ready to adopt and benefit from emerging technologies as they are introduced.
We support institutions, companies, and implementers who are bringing new digital and AI systems into African contexts. We help them understand the environments they are entering, the users they are designing for, and the conditions that determine whether adoption will succeed at scale.
This includes strengthening AI literacy across sectors, helping organisations prepare their teams for new technologies, and bridging the gap between technical innovation and real-world usability.
Research
Our research impact area supports the wider ecosystem of organisations, innovators, policymakers, and institutions that are designing, deploying, and scaling digital and AI-driven technologies across Africa.
We generate research that helps these actors make better decisions, whether that means improving product design, increasing user adoption, strengthening market fit, shaping rollout strategies, or supporting the diffusion of new technologies across different African contexts.
Our work helps organisations understand the environments they operate in, the people they are building for, and the conditions that determine whether technologies succeed or fail in real-world settings.
Unlocking the Value of Data
Data is one of the most powerful assets in the digital economy, but its value depends entirely on how it is collected, structured, interpreted, and used.
At AI-DDAIS, our work focuses on supporting organisations, institutions, and businesses that want to use data more effectively to improve decision-making, performance, and strategic outcomes.For many organisations, the challenge is not the absence of data, but the inability to turn that data into meaningful action. Our role is to close that gap, making data a practical tool for growth, innovation, and better decision-making.
Thought Leadership & Knowledge Management
Thought leadership and knowledge management at AI-DDAIS focuses on shaping how digitalization, data, and artificial intelligence are understood, discussed, and governed within Africa and in global conversations.
We produce and consolidate insights that reflect real conditions on the ground, then translate those insights into ideas that can inform policy, strategy, and practice.
This work helps make sure African contexts are not only represented, but actively considered in how digital futures are designed.
Work With AI-DDAIS
Need Research, Data Insight or AI Adoption Support?
AI-DDAIS works with organisations, institutions, and innovators who need technology decisions shaped by evidence, context and real-world African conditions.