Recent research conducted by Fortinet has illuminated a powerful trend across the African business landscape: a significant embrace of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Our survey of 750 CEOs, CTOs, and CIOs across South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco, and Algeria reveals that a remarkable 85% of companies are either already investing in AI or plan to do so within the next three to five years. This widespread ambition underscores the growing recognition of AI's potential to transform operations and drive innovation.

Interestingly, our findings also unearthed some unexpected regional dynamics. Kenya and Egypt are emerging as front-runners in AI adoption, demonstrating a strong appetite for the technology. South Africa, often considered the continent's technology leader, appears to be taking a more measured approach.

Key findings of the survey:

85% of the surveyed companies have already invested in, or plan to invest in AI within 3-5 years
The key challenges of implementing AI were cited as integration with existing systems (60%), staff training, (58%), and data privacy concerns (52%)
80% of respondents consider AI’s potential to enhance cybersecurity a major factor in investment decisions
Top uses of AI in cybersecurity are cited as data leakage protection (64%), risk management (64%), and threat detection and prevention (63%)
82% of those surveyed view AI as essential for operational efficiency
78% of those surveyed consider AI crucial to their digital strategy

Our survey highlighted several key factors driving this AI-enthusiasm. A significant 80% of respondents consider AI's potential to enhance cybersecurity a major catalyst for their investment decisions. This is hardly surprising given the findings of Interpol's 2024 African Cyberthreat Assessment Report, which identified Africa as the region experiencing the highest year-on-year increase in cyberattacks globally. Furthermore, we know that cybercriminals are increasingly leveraging AI to develop sophisticated and scalable threats.

It is notable, however, that despite this awareness, only a small fraction – just 16% – of businesses we surveyed across these five key African markets reported their AI adoption for cybersecurity purposes to be at an advanced stage. This suggests a gap between understanding the threat landscape and fully leveraging AI's capabilities to counter it - gap that leaves businesses’ flanks wide open.

Encouragingly, though, business leaders clearly believe in AI's ability to bolster their security defences, with over 80% viewing its potential in this area as a significant investment driver. The top priority areas for integrating AI into cybersecurity strategies are data leakage protection and enhancing risk management, both cited by 64% of respondents, closely followed by threat detection and prevention at 63%. Businesses anticipate key benefits such as real-time threat detection (65%) and improved data analysis and anomaly detection (61%) from more advanced cybersecurity technologies.

The research also shed light on South Africa's evolving position in the AI landscape. When we assessed the level of advanced AI adoption in cybersecurity across the continent, South Africa ranked fourth at 13%, with Egypt leading at 24%, followed by Kenya (17%) and Algeria (15%). This more conservative stance extends to overall AI adoption, with only 72% of South African respondents considering AI crucial to their digital strategy – below the survey average. Kenya and Egypt showed stronger conviction here, at 85% and 82% respectively. This pattern continues in future investment plans, with Kenya (90%) and Egypt (89%) leading in committed AI investments over the next three to five years, while South Africa trails at 83%.

While cost is undoubtedly a factor influencing AI adoption rates, our findings point to an even more fundamental hurdle: the skills gap. Despite the strong interest in AI, all surveyed markets identified skills shortages as a major limiting factor, with 58% highlighting staff training and upskilling as critical.

From Fortinet's perspective, these findings underscore a crucial point. To have a successful AI programme and truly benefit from its capabilities, organisations need the right knowledge, skills, and expertise – particularly within cybersecurity. Without this foundation, even substantial financial investments are unlikely to yield effective implementation.

The estimated global shortage of around 4.8 million cybersecurity professionals is a challenge we at Fortinet are actively addressing through our free cybersecurity training programmes for IT professionals. For businesses embarking on AI projects, investing in internal or external training for their teams is absolutely essential.

Of course, we also recognise that economic realities significantly influence, especially South Africa's AI adoption rate. In the current climate, many companies are prioritising cost reduction, leading to more cautious technology investment decisions. However, for all African businesses aiming to advance in the realm of AI, a clear and comprehensive strategy aligned with existing business initiatives is paramount. AI adoption must directly support specific business outcomes and have the full backing of senior leadership.

When considering the deployment of AI in cybersecurity, it is vital to form partnerships that can capitalise on long-standing experience in using AI and a deep understanding of its applications – it should be ingrained in any partner’s DNA. At Fortinet, we have been actively developing and integrating artificial intelligence into our cybersecurity solutions for over a decade, leveraging AI to enhance threat detection, prevention, and response across our entire portfolio. This experience positions us uniquely to help African businesses navigate the complexities of AI adoption and strengthen their security posture in an increasingly challenging threat landscape.

Doros Hadjizenonos is the Regional Director at Fortinet South Africa, a leading cybersecurity company committed to securing people, devices, and data everywhere.

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