Abstract
Africa's Artificial Intelligence (AI) development is at a crossroad in terms of challenges and opportunities. The future economy of the continent belongs to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). However, its advent is dependent on the successful implementation of AI technologies across the economic spectrum. AI technologies generate new opportunities for transformative governance and innovative solutions to Africa-specific challenges. In the realm of public policy making, AI-powered predictive analytics facilitate enhancing the capacity of delivering public services and contribute to economic prosperity. However, the AI ecosystem is hampered by the lack of sufficient digital infrastructure to support the training data and the scarcity of training data, as well as absent robust regulatory mechanisms and blueprints. Without addressing these challenges, the continent risks being further left behind in the ongoing evolutionary AI chain. This study explores the opportunities and challenges of implementing AI technologies in the African public policymaking space. It also offers policy recommendations to policymakers aimed at better understanding and tapping the opportunities that are brought by AI.