Educational leadership readiness gap for artificial intelligence in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence into education presents significant opportunities for enhancing instructional quality, personalizing learning, and improving administrative efficiency. Despite its transformative potential, successful adoption remains contingent upon leadership readiness, particularly in contexts where digital transformation is still emerging. Existing scholarship has largely focused on technological infrastructure and pedagogical applications, while insufficient attention has been given to the preparedness of school leadership to guide Artificial Intelligence implementation. This paper addresses this gap by critically examining the current state of school leadership and the implications of leadership unpreparedness for effective technology integration. Drawing on conceptual analysis and a review of contemporary educational leadership discourse, the study explores how limited digital competence, policy alignment, and strategic vision constrain Artificial Intelligence adoption. The findings underscore the necessity of targeted leadership development initiatives that strengthen digital literacy, ethical governance, and data management capabilities. The study further highlights the importance of evaluating how leadership readiness shapes the sustainability and effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence integration. These insights contribute to policy and practice by emphasizing leadership capacity as a central determinant of responsible and effective technological transformation in education.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; digital leadership; educational technology; leadership readiness; school governance