Mapping AI Research in North Africa: A Bibliometric Analysis for Trends and Opportunities

Abstract

The rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) offer transformative opportunities to address global challenges. For North African countries, sharing common contexts and facing compounded challenges from climate change and resource limitations, AI provides a unique opportunity for North African countries to overcome scientific and technological barriers, potentially narrowing the gap with global leaders.By analysing Scopus data, this bibliometric study reveals that AI research is a dynamic and rapidly evolving field, with 61% of publications appearing since 2019. Focusing on the 2019-2024 period and the dominant publication types, the analysis identifies 1.6 million publications, heavily concentrated in "Computer Science" (62%), "Engineering" (42%), and "Mathematics" (20%), reflecting both the foundational development of the discipline and its expanding application across diverse fields. A few countries also dominate AI research, with China, the USA, and India collectively accounting for over 60% of publications. North African countries have a modest presence, led by Egypt (0.8% of global publications, ranked 28th), followed by Morocco (0.6%, 39th), Algeria (0.4%, 49th), Tunisia (0.4%, 50th), and Libya (0.03%, 92nd). SciVal analysis reveals key disparities in AI research outputs, collaboration patterns, and thematic priorities across North African countries. Egypt excels in collaboration, patent citations, and impactful contributions to global topics, particularly in materials science, energy, and medicine, reflecting its strong AI focus. Morocco shows dynamism in decision sciences, agriculture, and management, emphasising sustainable growth, but struggles with limited collaboration and industrial ties. Algeria benefits from international and industrial partnerships for prioritising materials science, energy, and earth sciences, reflecting industrial and environmental goals. Tunisia, despite similar output, has scattered contributions and demonstrates specialisation in molecular biology, social sciences, and medicine, with notable transfer to industry. Though low output, Libya benefits from advanced collaborations and focuses on mathematics and decision sciences, focusing on academic bases of AI. These disparities in AI research outputs and strategic orientations highlight the need for targeted regional cooperation. North African countries could establish collaborative research networks that leverage their collective strengths in areas like renewable energy, agriculture, and e-learning. Policy frameworks should focus on fostering cross-border partnerships, encouraging joint ventures between academia, industry, and government, and promoting AI collaboration in priority sectors such as climate change and resource management. Additionally, Egypt's leadership in AI could serve as a model for scaling up efforts in other countries. Morocco's growing expertise in sustainable development presents an opportunity for deeper collaboration in decision sciences and management. By aligning AI efforts with shared regional challenges, such as climate change, North African countries can create a more integrated and resilient research ecosystem, fostering innovation that benefits the whole region.