A survey conducted among 750 CEOs, CTOs and CIOs across South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria has revealed that AI (Artificial Intelligence) is a top priority for African businesses, with 85% of companies surveyed having already invested or planning to invest in AI within the next three to five years.
The research, conducted by cybersecurity leader, Fortinet, also un-earthed unexpected regional dynamics. Kenya and Egypt emerged as front-runners in AI adoption, while South Africa – traditionally viewed as the continental technology leader – showed more measured adoption rates.
Key findings of the survey:
- Eighty-five percent of the surveyed companies have already invested in or plan to invest in AI within three to five years
- The key challenges of implementing AI were cited as integration with existing systems (60%), staff training (58%) and data privacy concerns (52%)
- Eighty percent of respondents consider AI’s potential to enhance cybersecurity a major factor in investment decisions
- Top uses of AI in cybersecurity are cited as data leakage protection (64%), risk management (64%) and threat detection and prevention (63%)
- Eighty-two percent view AI as essential for operational efficiency
- Seventy-eight percent consider AI crucial to their digital strategy
Cybersecurity hailed a key area for AI investment
In Interpol’s 2024 African Cyberthreat Assessment Report, Africa was cited as the region facing the highest year-over-year increase in cyberattacks globally. Moreover, it’s well known that cybercriminals are increasingly leveraging AI to create more sophisticated and scalable attacks.
It is therefore perhaps surprising that less than two in 10 organisations – a mere 16% of businesses surveyed by Fortinet across five key African markets – reported their AI adoption for cybersecurity purposes to be at an advanced stage.
That said, the research showed that business leaders do believe that AI will enable them to strengthen their security defences, with over 80% considering AI’s potential to enhance cybersecurity a major factor in their investment decisions.
The top three priority areas for integrating AI into cybersecurity strategies were cited as data leakage and protection (64%), enhancing risk management (64%) and threat detection and prevention (34%).
