African CEOs confident on growth but AI readiness lags global peers

African business leaders demonstrate strong confidence in growth prospects, with 79% optimistic about their own organizations and 72% confidence in domestic economies. However, a critical gap exists between AI adoption ambitions and organizational readiness: while 72% identify AI as a top investment priority, only 14% believe their organizations are moving at the right pace or ahead of AI developments, compared to 66% globally. This 52-percentage-point gap reveals that African businesses recognize AI's potential but lack the underlying capabilities, data infrastructure, and skilled workforce to deploy it effectively at scale.

Supply chain resilience emerges as a central operational concern, with cybersecurity and supply-chain disruptions cited by 31% of CEOs as leading threats to growth. These findings suggest that resilience is no longer defensive but has become a prerequisite for competitive growth, requiring investment in digital infrastructure, governance, and talent development. The longer investment timelines African CEOs anticipate for AI returns (42% expect results after three years versus 12% globally) reflect the work required to strengthen foundational capabilities and integrate new technologies into existing systems.

For supply chain professionals, this creates both challenge and opportunity. Organizations must balance immediate operational pressures with longer-term investments in technology, skills, and infrastructure while navigating geopolitical tensions, energy volatility, and shifting trade patterns. The data points to a continent in transition: resource-rich markets with expanding consumer demand are attracting global investment flows, yet the ability to capture and maintain that opportunity depends on addressing structural constraints in infrastructure, energy reliability, and workforce capability.