Research ICT Africa’s After Access survey has served as one of the few nationally representative sources of demand-side data on mobile device ownership, internet use and digital skills in Africa. In 2026, the survey focuses on Kenya and Rwanda, bringing up-to-date, comparable data and two significant additions to the survey instrument.

A continuation and a return

Kenya was last surveyed in 2022, so this updated data allows researchers to track shifts in access, usage patterns and digital skills over the last four years. Rwanda, meanwhile, returns to the After Access series for the first time since 2018, giving researchers an opportunity to examine long-run changes in a country where digital infrastructure and policy have shifted substantially over this period.

New addition #1: A dedicated AI module

The After Access survey has introduced a pioneering module that directly explores AI, providing on-the-ground insights into how Africans interact with and perceive these emerging technologies. This new module covers questions concerning respondents’ frequency of AI use, their self-assessed competency with AI tools, the activities they use them for, and their perceptions of AI’s effects on job displacements, productivity and more. 

New addition #2: Occupation as a grouping variable for labour market dynamics

The 2026 round introduces a new question on respondents’ occupation. Combined with the survey’s existing demographic indicators (gender, age, education level, location and income), this allows occupation-based analysis for the first time. Researchers will be able to explore how digital access, skills, and now AI engagement vary across the Kenyan and Rwandan labour markets.

Watch this space

Together, these additions position the 2026 round to speak directly to some of the most pressing open questions in digital policy research: Who is being included and excluded, what does meaningful connectivity look like, how are emerging technologies such as AI tools being used, what does AI competency look like in Africa, and how do occupational categories shape the digital divide?

Data collection in Kenya has now been completed, with the Rwanda survey in progress. As the RIA team commences with taking a first stab at the analysis and drawing out important policy insights, others can look forward to accessing this publicly available data later this year. For researchers working on digital inclusion, labour markets, or AI policy in the Global South, this round of After Access data will offer a valuable and rare empirical foundation grounded in two distinct African contexts.