AI course enrollments in South Africa increased 75% year over year, while enrollments in critical thinking courses rose 132%, according to Coursera’s Global Skills Report 2026.
South Africa also ranks second among the 11 sub-Saharan African countries covered and 73rd globally on the report’s new AI-Human Skills Synergy Index.
The Index measures 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.
The findings come as South Africa seeks to strengthen the connection between skills development and employment. A World Bank analysis identifies persistent recruitment challenges in software development, networking, and cybersecurity, despite high unemployment. It also finds that nearly half of job postings seek transferable skills such as communication and problem-solving.
These findings reinforce the importance of developing technical and human skills together to meet employers’ needs.
Now in its eighth edition, the Global Skills Report 2026 draws on a subset of learning data from more than 300 million learners across Coursera and Udemy. The report combines insights into AI and human skills development with broader national readiness data from Oxford Insights’ Government AI Readiness Index.
Trending AI learning themes in South Africa include generative AI, data and analytics, and agentic AI and AI agents. Other prominent themes include model- and assistant-specific skills, and AI development frameworks and infrastructure. Enrollments in AI security increased 236%, agentic workflows grew 195%, and generative AI rose 161%.
Learners in South Africa are also developing the human skills needed to evaluate AI outputs and communicate their implications. Communication and presentation, stakeholder alignment and influence, and planning and prioritization are among the trending human skills themes, together with emotional intelligence and empathy, and critical thinking and judgment. Alongside the 132% increase in critical thinking enrollments, complex problem-solving grew 28% year over year and innovation rose 19%.
The report examines which AI and human skills learners develop together more distinctively than the global average. In South Africa, learners pair AI and machine learning foundations with both communication and presentation, and critical thinking and judgment. They also pair data and analytics with communication and presentation. These combinations can help people explain AI concepts and results clearly, assess model assumptions and limitations, and communicate analysis to technical and nontechnical audiences.
As employers seek evidence of job-relevant capabilities, micro-credentials offer individuals a way to demonstrate specific skills verified through assessment. They give employers evidence of what candidates know and can do, complementing other qualifications and practical experience. Coursera’s report shows that micro-credential enrollments in South Africa rose 31% year over year overall, with AI-related micro-credential enrollments increasing 74%.
Kais Zribi, Coursera’s GM for the Middle East and Africa, comments: “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 recognizing skills demonstrated through assessment. Strengthening those connections can help more South Africans turn their learning into career opportunities and contribute to productivity as businesses adopt AI.”