The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Accelerating Digital Transformation Across Emerging African Economies

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly become a hallmark of the digital transformation in the world, and it is fundamentally changing the way societies create value, provide services, and compete in a globalised world. In Africa, AI is a developmental challenge and a transformative opportunity in the emerging economies. The intersection of mobile technologies, data analytics, and machine learning is allowing African countries to skip the conventional industrial development trajectories, improve the delivery of social services, and trigger inclusive economic development. However, the potential barriers to the implementation of AI are structural flaws in the form of the lack of digital infrastructure, ineffective data management, and the absence of human capital. The paper will critically analyse the role of AI in enhancing the pace of digital transformation in the emerging African economies with interdisciplinary support of evidence in development economics, technology policy, and African innovation studies. It combines the knowledge of (Strusani and Houngbonon, 2019), Aly (2022), Ifeanyi et al. (2025), and Arakpogun et al. (2021) to give a more refined view of the way AI promotes innovation, productivity, and resilience. The paper argues that AI in Africa holds a future in context-sensitive policies to balance between the ambition of technology and ethical governance, inclusive participation and sustainable development objectives.