Generative AI in African Higher Education: A Systematic Review of Opportunities, Ethical Challenges, and Institutional Readiness

Abstract

Despite Generative AI (GenAI) is transforming higher education globally, its implications for access, inclusion, personalized learning, assessment, and research productivity in African higher education institutions (HEIs) remain underexplored. This review synthesizes empirical evidence on how African HEIs are adopting GenAI, highlighting key opportunities, ethical challenges, and levels of institutional preparedness. We searched six academic databases, including Education Source Ultimate, Web of Science, Academic Search Ultimate, ERIC, APA PsycINFO, and Humanities Search Ultimate for peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers published in English between 2022 and 2025. Out of the 110 records, 82 were screened after 28 duplicates were removed. We conducted full-text reviews on 51 eligible articles and 39 met the inclusion criteria. Our findings indicate that GenAI adoption in African HEIs is expanding but uneven, concentrated in digitally advanced nations, enhancing personalization, multilingual learning, and research productivity, yet raises ethical concerns about academic integrity. We recommend that institutions integrate GenAI literacy into faculty development and curricula and that policymakers prioritise governance frameworks that balance innovation and ethics.