Mapping AI-Health Research in Africa: Bibliometric Insights into Global Trends

Abstract

Artificial intelligence is strategic for addressing persistent gaps in African healthcare systems. This bibliometric analysis examines the African corpus, indexed in Scopus 2020-2025, and reveals the main trends (publications, networks and collaborative themes, etc.). It shows that African researchers contribute 2.8% of the global effort in this area. However, this activity is concentrated in few countries, notably Egypt and South Africa. Despite its modest volume, the influence of this research is undeniable (15.6 citations per publication and an FWCI of 2.34). This visibility is closely linked to a high rate of international collaboration (62.5%), particularly through partnerships with Saudi Arabia, India, the United States, China, and the United Kingdom. Thematic mapping reveals that African teams are engaged in global advances in AI-assisted diagnostics (DL in medical imaging). In parallel, they maintain specific expertise in areas aligned with local health needs, such as malaria detection, water quality modeling, and vector-borne disease surveillance. Other niches are emerging in class-imbalance learning, cardiovascular risk prediction, IoT-based monitoring, and advanced imaging approaches. There is a clear Africa’s commitment to AI-Health, with a structural dependence on non-African actors. Strengthening data governance, technical infrastructure, and intra-African collaboration is essential to fostering more autonomous and Africa-focused AI.

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