Enrolment in artificial intelligence (AI)-related micro-credentials has increased sharply in Ghana and Nigeria, signalling growing demand for digital skills as businesses and governments accelerate technology adoption across West Africa.
According to Coursera’s Global Skills Report 2026, AI-related micro-credential enrolments rose by 95% in Ghana and 93% in Nigeria over the past year. The report, published by the online learning platform, draws on a subset of learning data from more than 300 million learners across Coursera and Udemy. Source: ITWeb Africa
The growth is taking place alongside national initiatives aimed at strengthening digital capabilities. Ghana has introduced its National AI Strategy and announced a US$250 million investment in an AI Computing Centre, alongside its One Million Coders Programme. Nigeria, meanwhile, is expanding access to digital training through the Federal Ministry of Education’s Digital Training Academy, which offers government-funded skills training to 32,000 Nigerians, according to the report.
The findings also point to a shift beyond basic AI literacy towards specialised technical and analytical capabilities. Learners in both countries are pursuing training in AI security, agentic workflows, critical thinking and complex problem-solving. Ghanaian learners are combining foundational machine learning with critical thinking, while Nigerian learners are linking operational planning with multi-agent orchestration.
Business adoption is adding urgency to the skills transition. Coursera cites figures from the World Bank’s World Development Report 2026 indicating that AI tool use among formal Nigerian businesses with at least five employees increased from less than 5% in 2022 to approximately 40% in 2025.
However, rising enrolments do not automatically translate into a workforce equipped to meet industry needs. In the report’s AI-Human Skills Synergy Index, which assesses 98 countries, Nigeria ranked fifth among 11 sub-Saharan African countries and 81st globally, while Ghana placed eighth regionally and 89th worldwide.
Kais Zribi, Coursera’s general manager for the Middle East and Africa, said the next priority is connecting learning with employment and entrepreneurship. He highlighted the role of governments, employers and educational institutions in improving access to training, supporting completion and giving learners opportunities to demonstrate their capabilities in practical settings.
For Africa’s broadcasting and media industries, these trends underline the importance of developing skills that support the practical application of AI across content production, newsroom workflows, cybersecurity, data analysis and digital distribution. As media organisations explore automation and AI-enabled services, collaboration between training providers and employers could help bridge the gap between growing interest in technology and the specialist capabilities needed to implement it effectively.
