As countries and ‌companies race to secure AI's economic benefits, investment in data centres, energy infrastructure and digital networks is surging worldwide. But Sub-Saharan Africa, which ranks ​lowest on the IMF's AI Preparedness Index, risks capturing only a fraction of the potential gains if infrastructure bottlenecks remain unaddressed, the paper found. Without decisive action, many ‌sub-Saharan African countries may see productivity and ⁠growth gains of just 0.2% over the next decade, he told Reuters. AFRICA PLAYING CATCH-UP TO AI USEAfrica remains on the margins of the global ⁠AI boom, with Sub-Saharan Africa recording one of the lowest AI adoption rates of any region worldwide, behind every region except South Asia. The IMF's AI Preparedness Index attributes the gap to shortfalls in digital infrastructure, technical skills and regulatory capacity that ​limit both ​adoption and the region's resilience to labor-market disruption.