AI readiness is board readiness: Steering corporate strategy in Africa’s intelligent age
Artificial intelligence has become the infrastructure of modern business. The real risk for African boardrooms today is no longer being late to AI – it is being unprepared to govern the power they are already using. For Africa’s corporations, this is not a distant trend but a present reality, from generative design and predictive analytics to algorithmic decision-making. Value creation, measurement, and protection now hinge on intelligent technologies. The question before every board is not whether their organisations should adopt AI, but whether they are equipped to govern it with foresight and integrity.
Across the world, boards are redefining governance priorities. AI readiness has evolved from technical ambition into a governance threshold. According to DemandSage, eighty-two percent of businesses globally are exploring or implementing AI, yet far fewer have structured oversight frameworks. In 2025, the NACD found only thirty-six percent of boards had adopted an AI governance framework, while S&P Global reported that just twenty-nine percent had formalised AI policies, with seven percent embedding AI rules within existing policies. This mismatch widens the trust gap between innovation and responsible leadership – a gap particularly visible in Africa, where digital adoption often outpaces regulation.
Elevating AI governance is now a strategic necessity. The continent stands at the cusp of transformation: AI can boost agricultural productivity, modernise public services, enable precision medicine, and deepen financial inclusion. But without robust oversight, the same algorithms that drive growth can entrench bias, compromise privacy, and erode social trust. AI readiness, therefore, begins not in the IT department but in the boardroom.
For African boards, this demands new literacy. Directors must interrogate the purpose, data sources, and ethical implications of AI systems, moving beyond passive oversight toward stewardship of AI-driven transformation. They must ask: What data fuels our models? Who owns it? Are algorithms transparent and fair? How do we guard against misinformation and bias? How do we balance innovation with accountability? These are governance questions that go to the heart of strategy.
“AI can unlock immense value, but only when guided by the same principles that have long underpinned sound corporate leadership: integrity, accountability, and trust.”
The board’s role is not to engineer code but to set direction and boundaries. Governance ensures that technology serves the corporate purpose rather than dictates it. Boards must look past short-term efficiencies to assess reputational, ethical, and societal implications. AI can unlock immense value, but only when guided by the same principles that have long underpinned sound corporate leadership: integrity, accountability, and trust.
Globally, other regions are already charting this path. The EU has legislated obligations through the AI Act; the US has issued its AI Bill of Rights; and several Asian markets now weave AI ethics into corporate governance codes. Africa cannot remain a bystander. Our markets are dynamic laboratories of innovation, not passive consumers of technology. Yet innovation must be anchored in governance if it is to create genuine value and resilience.
Africa’s readiness depends on aligning three pillars. First, strategic alignment – ensuring AI supports both corporate purpose and societal benefit. Second, operational execution – embedding governance frameworks for safe, transparent, and ethical AI use. Third, cultural trust – ensuring employees, investors, and citizens believe AI is deployed responsibly. Boards sit at the centre of these layers, shaping policy, tone, and oversight.
Africa’s record of adaptive governance provides a strong foundation. The continent has leapfrogged infrastructure gaps before; it can do the same with AI. But readiness demands action, not aspiration. Boards must integrate AI risks into enterprise risk management, empower committees to assess emerging technologies, and commit to ongoing learning on AI ethics and regulation. Leadership in this era calls for curiosity and courage in equal measure.
In the end, AI readiness is not about technology; it is about trust. As algorithms influence markets, credit, healthcare, and even governance itself, the moral authority of corporate Africa will rest on how responsibly boards act. Those that lead will not only future-proof their companies; they will help future-shape the continent. Boards that fail to build AI governance capacity will soon be presiding over systems they can no longer credibly oversee—and that is the point at which leadership turns into liability. AI readiness has become the new measure of board readiness. For Africa’s leaders, the moment to act is now.
About the author:
Amaka Ibeji is a Boardroom Certified Qualified Technology Expert and a Digital Trust Visionary. She is the founder of
PALS Hub, a digital trust and assurance company, Amaka coaches and consults with individuals and companies navigating careers or practices in privacy and AI governance. Connect with her on LinkedIn: amakai or email [email protected]
