BUSINESS
AI Courses In Nigeria Surge 93% As Critical Thinking Jumps 113% – Coursera Report 20262
Enrolments for Artificial Intelligence (AI) micro-credentials in Nigeria rose by 93 per cent in the last one year, according to Coursera’s Global Skills Report 2026.
The report also shows critical thinking enrolments grew by 113 per cent, AI security by 137 per cent and generative AI by 126 per cent.
Released on October 19, 2026, the report ranked Nigeria 5th among 11 Sub-Saharan African countries and 81st globally on its new AI-Human Skills Synergy Index.
The Index, the first of its kind, measures how learners in 98 countries are developing AI skills alongside human skills needed to apply them.
Coursera said the findings come as Nigeria expands its National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.
In September 2026, the Federal Ministry of Education launched the Digital Training Academy targeting 32,000 Nigerians with government-funded access to digital skills and professional credentials.
Now in its 8th edition, the Global Skills Report draws from learning data of over 300 million learners across Coursera and Udemy, combined with Oxford Insights’ Government AI Readiness Index.
Across Nigeria, overall AI course enrolments rose 28 per cent. Trending areas include generative AI, data and analytics, agentic AI and AI agents, prompting and AI interaction.
Learners are also investing in human skills such as planning and prioritization, communication, ethics and governance, data storytelling and critical thinking. Complex problem-solving grew 59 per cent while innovation rose 6 per cent.
The report noted that planning and prioritization is a common thread across AI workflows, agentic AI and AI foundations in Nigeria — skills that help workers organise AI-enabled tasks.
The surge aligns with business adoption. The World Bank’s World Development Report 2026 reports AI use among formal Nigerian firms rose from less than 5 per cent in 2022 to about 40 per cent in 2025.
Overall, micro-credential enrolments in Nigeria rose 33 per cent, with AI-related micro-credentials leading at 93 per cent.Kais Zribi, Coursera’s General Manager for Middle East and Africa, said Nigerian learners are investing in AI credentials while strengthening human skills.
“Nigeria’s learners are investing in AI credentials while strengthening the human skills needed to put their knowledge to work. The next opportunity is to make those pathways accessible to more people and connect them with employment,” he said.