Mozambique ranks 172nd in the world in Oxford Insights’ Government AI Readiness Index, which measures how prepared governments are to implement Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the provision of public services to citizens. Among the 47 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Mozambique is in 32nd place, with a score slightly below the regional average.
The recently published Government AI Readiness Index, by Oxford Insights, measures the level of preparedness of 193 countries for Artificial Intelligence (AI), by collecting and analysing 39 indicators, divided into three main dimensions – “Government”, “Technology Sector” and “Data Infrastructures” – which result in a final score (from zero to 100).
In sub-Saharan Africa, the best-ranked country is Mauritius (with 53.27 points, which is also the leader in the Government pillar), followed by South Africa (with the best ranking in the Technology Sector and Data Infrastructure pillars), Rwanda, Senegal and Benin. Rounding off the regional top 10 are Kenya, Nigeria, Botswana, Seychelles and Cape Verde.
Mozambique ranks 172nd in the world with an overall score of 25.62, slightly below the sub-Saharan African average of 30.16. The country’s best pillar is “Data Infrastructure” (37.15 points), followed by “Government” (21.9) and finally the “Technology Sector” (with 17.82, the seventh worst performance in the ranking). At regional level, Mozambique is in 32nd place out of 47 countries, one place above neighbouring Malawi.
Despite sub-Saharan Africa being the worst performing region in the world, analysts point to the clear progress made in the last year, with three new countries (Rwanda, Senegal and Benin) publishing their national AI strategies, following the example of Mauritius. Curiously, the region’s two largest economies, South Africa and Nigeria, have yet to do so, although Nigeria and Ethiopia are already in the process.
Regional co-operation is another positive trend highlighted by Oxford Insights, an example of which is the participation of Namibia, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe in UNESCO’s first regional forum on AI (SARFAI), held at the end of 2023, which resulted in the Windhoek Declaration with various recommendations for action.
The report also points out that Côte d’Ivoire, Namibia and Rwanda are already working with UNESCO to align their national strategies with the organisation’s Ethical Recommendations for AI. And they point out that the AI Continental Strategy for Africa, which has been discussed by a panel of experts from the African Union, will be published this year.
Government AI Readiness Index 2023, Oxford Insight
By Jaime Fidalgo
