Kenya ranks among Commonwealth's leading countries in youth AI readiness, but misses benchmark
Kenya is the highest-ranked East African Community (EAC) country in a new study of youth AI readiness, placing 22nd out of 56 Commonwealth countries with a score of 48.7 out of 100.
The Ayre Index, launched at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda, ranks Uganda next in the region at 23rd with 47.0, followed by Tanzania at 25th with 45.5 and Rwanda at 47th with 38.1.
Kenya remains below the study’s youth AI readiness benchmark of 53, which only 15 of the 56 Commonwealth countries reach or exceed. Singapore tops the index with 77.6, followed by Malta, Australia, the UK and Canada. South Africa, at 13th, and Nigeria, at 15th, are the highest-ranked African countries.
The research was carried out by the Ayre Think Tank, founded by Antiguan-Canadian businessman Calvin Ayre. Applying International Monetary Fund (IMF) scenarios to Kenya’s economy, the researchers estimate that AI could raise the level of the country’s GDP by US$1.971 billion after 10 years in a moderate scenario. The figure ranges from US$952 million in the conservative case to US$2.991 billion in the optimistic one.
According to the study, Kenya’s potential gain is the third largest among the 41 countries below the benchmark, after Bangladesh and Pakistan.
The study found that 55.5% of Kenyan 15-year-olds reported assessing AI-generated material during lessons. It also pointed to strong institutional foundations, including an operational data protection authority and legal safeguards covering certain automated decisions.
“AI is going to change how we work, how we do business and how wealth is created. But this is not a race that only the biggest or richest countries can win,” said Ayre.
“What matters is giving young people the skills and the chance to get ahead – whether to start businesses, find jobs or build something for themselves.”
Connectivity gaps
Kenya has 16.7 million young people aged 15 to 29. According to the sources reviewed, 4G networks cover 97.3% of the population, but electricity reaches only 77%, and businesses report disruptions to internet connections.
The study points to existing efforts to turn AI skills into jobs and business opportunities. In 2025, entrepreneurship platform MESH and Microsoft reported that 55,000 young Kenyan micro-entrepreneurs had completed AI skills training. In June 2026, UNESCO said its AI and digital skills initiative in Kenya had reached more than 5,300 beneficiaries, mainly students, across 23 technical and vocational institutions.
The white paper sets out five priorities: affordable and reliable access to technology, education that builds practical skills, stronger routes from training into jobs and enterprise, AI tools suited to local languages and needs, and safeguards that let young people challenge automated decisions.
The index draws on 1,128 sources and covers about 732 million young people across the Commonwealth. It scores countries across seven pillars and 102 indicators, using an AI model applying a fixed rubric. The researchers have published the underlying data and code so the scores can be independently reproduced.
“We need to make sure that the next generation will be able to do more than just consume AI products made elsewhere,” said Professor C. Justin Robinson, pro vice-chancellor and campus principal of the University of the West Indies, Five Islands Campus.
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