South Africa’s AI education growth highlights the importance of combining technical expertise with essential human skills for future success. (Image: istockphoto.com).
AI technology experts and education professionals say a recent increase in AI course enrolments in SA is significant, but the country’s efforts to develop AI skills alongside the human skills needed to apply them are also important.
According to skills development and learning platform Coursera’s eighth annual Global Skills Report 2026, AI course enrolments in SA increased by 75% year on year. The country ranks second among 11 sub-Saharan African countries covered in the report’s AI-Human Skills Synergy Index.
The newly introduced index uses data to measure the extent to which learners across 98 countries are developing AI skills alongside the human skills needed to apply them, while accounting for each country’s broader AI readiness. SA ranks 73rd globally, reflecting the region's broader AI readiness gap. However, the report does not identify all 11 sub-Saharan African countries covered or provide their individual rankings.
Johan Steyn, AI expert and founder of AIforBusiness.net, says the Synergy Index appears to be the first major index to explicitly measure whether learners are developing AI skills alongside the human skills needed to apply them.
He says this combination is a useful measure and the report’s most important finding.
“The entire value of AI is unlocked by humans who can interpret it, question its assumptions and communicate its results, so pairing AI and machine learning foundations with critical thinking, judgment and communication is precisely the combination that turns AI from a black box into business value. It is the opposite of the common mistake of chasing technical skills in isolation. South African learners are instinctively getting this right. The caveat is that learning these skills together is necessary but not sufficient – it has to translate into applied practice in real roles, which is where employers and institutions still need to build the routes,” he says.
Coursera’s report shows that micro-credential enrolments, which involve registration for short, competency-based learning courses, increased by 31% year on year in SA. Enrolments in AI-related micro-credentials rose by 74%.
Steyn says the increase in micro-credential enrolments is significant.
“Overall micro-credential enrolments are up 31%, but AI-related ones are up 74% – more than double the rate. That tells you AI is now the engine of South Africa’s learning demand, and that people are choosing structured, assessed credentials to make their new skills visible to employers. It is bottom-up workforce adaptation moving faster than formal education can. Enrolment is not completion, and completion is not employment. Growth off a modest base can look dramatic, and a credential only creates opportunity if employers actually recognise it. But directionally, it is a strong signal that the South African workforce wants to adapt – and that is exactly the appetite we should be building on.”
Steyn says the findings indicate that South Africans are willing to develop relevant skills, but cautions that the index measures what people are learning rather than what the economy can do with those skills.
“Our task is conversion – turning this learning into applied capability and real jobs.”
Loraine Vorster, VP for sub-Saharan Africa at CompTIA, a credentialing organisation for technology workers, says it is encouraging to see greater emphasis on combining AI skills with the human skills needed to apply them.
“South Africa's second place among sub-Saharan African countries is a solid result, and the 73rd global ranking shows there's room to grow. AI skills create value when they rest on core IT competence and are paired with critical thinking and problem-solving. Industry, training providers and government should work together on vendor-neutral, industry-recognised certifications and hands-on learning that give learners a verifiable route into work.”
Vorster says combining AI and data skills with communication, presentation and critical thinking is also important.
“Technical capability alone doesn't create value. Employers need people who can explain AI-driven results, question the assumptions behind them and present findings clearly to non-technical decision-makers. It's encouraging to see South African learners building these combinations. They work best on a solid technical base, backed by vendor-neutral, industry-recognised certifications and hands-on learning.”
Vorster says the 31% increase in micro-credential enrolments and 74% growth in AI-related enrolments indicate that South African learners want flexible, job-relevant ways to develop their skills. However, enrolment is only the first step.
The test is whether these credentials lead to jobs, which depends on whether they are recognised by industry, vendor-neutral and supported by practical training that demonstrates learners’ skills, she says. AI training is most effective when built on core IT foundations, including cyber security, cloud computing and data.
Kais Zribi, GM for the Middle East and Africa region at Coursera, says: “South Africa’s growing participation in AI and human skills learning provides a strong foundation for workforce development. The opportunity is to connect that commitment to learning with the capabilities employers need and clearer routes into work. Employers and educational institutions can help by aligning learning with specific roles, creating opportunities for practical experience and recognising skills demonstrated through assessment."
He concludes: "Strengthening those connections can help more South Africans turn their learning into career opportunities and contribute to productivity as businesses adopt AI.”