Artificial intelligence readiness in fragile states: a systematic review and theory-informed framework for workforce transformation in Somalia

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly recognized as a determinant of national productivity and competitiveness, yet the conditions required for its beneficial adoption, infrastructure, institutions, and human capital, remain unevenly distributed across the globe. Somalia, a fragile and conflict-affected state undergoing a prolonged process of institutional reconstruction, exemplifies this unevenness: a young, digitally engaged population and a strikingly dynamic private telecommunications and mobile-money sector coexist with weak public institutions, fragmented higher education, and chronic graduate unemployment.

This paper reports a systematic literature review with theory-informed framework development, conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 reporting guideline, that synthesizes peer-reviewed evidence on organizational and national AI readiness, digital-skills development, and workforce productivity, with a specific focus on Somalia and comparable fragile, low-connectivity, Sub-Saharan African contexts. Using the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework and human capital theory as complementary lenses, the review synthesizes findings from 31 sources identified through a structured search and screening process.

The evidence indicates that Somalia's AI readiness gap is not primarily a technological deficit but a multidimensional one, spanning fragmented digital infrastructure, weak institutional governance and data ecosystems, a persistent mismatch between higher-education curricula and labour-market needs, and the absence of coordinated national AI or digital-skills policy.

Building on these findings, the paper proposes a four-pillar conceptual AI readiness framework intended to guide future empirical assessment and policy discussion, encompassing digital infrastructure and access, institutional and governance readiness, human capital and skills development, and labour-market integration, together with a phased implementation roadmap for government, higher-education institutions, the private telecommunications sector, and development partners. The review provides a literature-grounded, context-specific synthesis of AI readiness for a fragile Horn of Africa state and offers a transferable analytical approach for similar settings.