Artificial intelligence could add as much as $1 trillion to Africa’s gross domestic product by 2035 and create 35 million to 40 million digital jobs, the World Bank said this week. The gains are not guaranteed.
The figures appear in the bank’s October 2026 Africa Economic Update, titled “Building AI-Readiness,” released on Oct. 6. They describe a full-activation scenario, not a baseline forecast.
“The gap between Africa’s potential AI gains and its current preparedness is enormous,” the report states. “Under a highly ambitious ‘full activation’ scenario, AI could add as much as $1 trillion to African GDP by 2035, create 35 million to 40 million digital jobs, and generate almost $150 billion in annual tax revenue.”
At current preparedness, the same passage estimates AI would add only 0.2% to 4% of cumulative GDP over the next decade. That lower range still assumes faster adoption than today’s infrastructure supports.
About 900 million Africans remain offline. The continent holds 18% of the world’s population but just 0.6% of global data-center capacity, and only about 5% of its centers are AI-ready.
Andrew Dabalen, the World Bank’s chief economist for Africa, said investment in those foundations “can unlock productivity gains, spur innovation, and accelerate the structural transformation needed to raise living standards and reduce poverty.”
Near-term automation risk is low: 2.6% of jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa, versus 14.2% in high-income economies. Augmentation potential is higher, at about 15.2% of jobs, so AI is expected to complement workers more than replace them.
Activity is concentrated. Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa dominate research, venture funding and advanced use. Surveyed firms in Nigeria and Kenya already report 44% AI adoption, against 61% in the United States.
Separately, the update lifts regional growth to 4.3% in 2026 from 4.1% in 2025, with forecasts raised for nearly three-quarters of countries. Resilience followed energy-price shocks linked to the Iran conflict.
Per-capita income growth is projected at only 1.8% this year. Extreme poverty is expected to ease only slightly, while the absolute number of poor people keeps rising and debt service still crowds out infrastructure spending.
