Africa

Google launches AI skilling blueprint to close Africa’s skills gap

Google has launched an AI Skilling Blueprint for Africa, activating a $7.5 million commitment to support expert local organisations in training talent. An additional $2.25 million will be used to modernise public data infrastructure.

The initiative aims to address the continent’s widening AI skills gap, where over half of businesses report the biggest barrier to growth is a shortage of qualified professionals.

The framework identifies three core groups for development. AI Learners build foundational AI skills, AI Implementers upskill professionals across key sectors, and AI Innovators develop experts and entrepreneurs to create AI solutions suited to African contexts.

Partner organisations include FATE Foundation, the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, JA Africa and the CyberSafe Foundation.

Complementing talent development, the initiative supports the creation of a Regional Data Commons through funding from Google.org and the Data Commons initiative, in partnership with UNECA, UN DESA and PARIS21.

High-quality, trustworthy data will enable African institutions to make informed decisions, drive innovation in public health, food security, economic planning, and ultimately strengthen a sustainable AI ecosystem across the continent.

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New strategy targets Africa’s connectivity gap

Africa’s latest digital summit in Cotonou presented a growing concern. Coverage has expanded across West and Central Africa, yet adoption remains stubbornly low. Nearly two-thirds of Africans remain offline, despite most already living in areas with mobile networks.

Senior figures at the World Bank argued that the continent now faces an inclusion challenge rather than an infrastructure gap, as many households weigh daily necessities against the cost of connectivity.

Affordability has become the dominant barrier. Mobile Internet often consumes more than twice the global threshold for acceptable pricing, while fixed broadband can account for a striking share of monthly income. Devices remain expensive, and digital literacy is far from widespread.

Women, in particular, lag, and many rural communities lack the necessary skills to utilise essential digital services. Concerns also extend to businesses that struggle to train staff for digital tools and emerging AI solutions.

Policymakers now argue for a shift in strategy. The World Bank intends to prioritise digital public goods such as digital identification, electronic payments and interoperable platforms, believing that valuable services will encourage people to go online.

Governments hope that a stronger ecosystem will make online health, connected agriculture and digital learning more accessible and therefore more valuable.

Benin used the summit to highlight its advances in online administration and training programmes. Regional leaders also called for the creation of an African Single Digital Market that would lower access costs, encourage cross-border investment and harmonise regulations.

Officials insisted that a unified approach could accelerate development and equip African workers with the skills required for the digital jobs expected to expand by the end of the decade.

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Google and Cassava expand Gemini access in Africa

Google announced a partnership with Cassava Technologies to widen access to Gemini across Africa. The deal includes data-free Gemini usage for eligible users coordinated through Cassava’s network partners. The initiative aims to address affordability and adoption barriers for mobile users.

A six-month trial of the Google AI Plus plan is part of the package. Benefits include access to more capable Gemini models and added cloud storage. Coverage by regional tech outlets reported the exact core details.

Education features were highlighted, including NotebookLM for study aids and Gemini in Docs for writing support. Google said the offer aims to help students, teachers, and creators work without worrying about data usage. Reports highlight a focus on youth and skills development.

Cassava’s role aligns with broader investments in AI infrastructure and services across the continent; recent announcements reference model exchanges and planned AI facilities that support regional development. Observers see momentum behind accessible AI tools.

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Elumelu calls for investment to harness AI development in Africa

Chairman of UBA Group Tony Elumelu told global financial leaders on Wednesday that AI could transform Africa’s healthcare, education, and agriculture sectors if inclusive development, skills, and access to capital are prioritised, as the continent risks being left behind in global AI development.

Elumelu stressed that Africa’s digital growth must focus on people. He praised the continent’s youthful population and creativity as its greatest assets, recalling how the Mobile Money app has managed to reshape African finance despite the lack of infrastructure.

He warned, however, that limited capital and digital skills continues to constrain progress. He called for ‘smart public–private partnerships’ to fund digital infrastructure and capacity development programmes, solutions that avoid adding to public debt. He pointed Heirs Holdings’ investments in energy and entrepreneurship as examples of long-term local value creation.

Elumelu also urged African governments to ensure their participation in global AI and data governance frameworks, noting that ‘inclusion is not automatic; it must be intentional’. He said the goal should be to ‘democratise prosperity’ by building systems that empower young people through technology and sustainable investment.

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Lawmakers told to harness AI for democracy

The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hajia Memounatou Ibrahima, has urged lawmakers to embrace AI to strengthen legislative work and democratic governance across West Africa.

Speaking at the Parliament’s 2025 Second Extraordinary Session in Port Harcourt, she said AI could improve communication with citizens, support regulatory frameworks, and drive inclusive growth.

Nigeria’s Deputy Senate President, Sen. Jibrin Barau, highlighted AI’s potential to enhance efficiency, accountability and oversight while cautioning lawmakers to examine associated risks.

Nigerian ambassador Ahmed Dunoma, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stressed that AI is already shaping education and security sectors. He called for proactive guidance to ensure its deployment deepens integration and safeguards democracy.

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Google boosts AI and connectivity in Africa

Google has announced new investments to expand connectivity, AI access and skills training across Africa, aiming to accelerate youth-led innovation.

The company has already invested over $1 billion in digital infrastructure, including subsea cable projects such as Equiano and Umoja, enabling 100 million people to come online for the first time. Four new regional cable hubs are being established to boost connectivity and resilience further.

Alongside infrastructure, Google will provide college students in eight African countries with a free one-year subscription to Google AI Pro. The tools, including Gemini 2.5 Pro and Guided Learning, are designed to support research, coding, and problem-solving.

By 2030, Google says it intends to reach 500 million Africans with AI-powered innovations tackling issues such as crop resilience, flood forecasting and access to education.

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New project expands AI access for African languages

Africa is working to close the AI language gap, as most global tools remain trained on English, Chinese, and European languages.

The African Next Voices project has created the continent’s largest dataset of spoken African languages, covering 18 tongues across Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Supported by a $2.2m Gates Foundation grant, the dataset includes 9,000 hours of speech in farming, health, and education settings.

Languages such as Hausa, Yoruba, isiZulu, and Kikuyu are now available for developers to build translation, transcription, and conversational AI tools. Farmers like South Africa’s Kelebogile Mosime already use local-language apps to solve agricultural challenges.

Start-ups, including Lelapa AI, are building products in African languages for banks and telecoms. Researchers warn that without such initiatives, millions risk exclusion from vital services and cultural knowledge could be lost.

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Japan pledges billions and AI training to Africa

Japan has pledged $5.5 billion in loans and announced an ambitious AI training programme to deepen economic ties with Africa.

At TICAD 9, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba proposed creating an Indian Ocean–Africa economic zone to link African nations with Asia and the Middle East.

Japan will also support training 30,000 AI experts over three years to drive digital transformation and job growth across the continent.

The initiative comes amid growing calls from leaders like António Guterres and João Lourenço to overhaul global finance systems and empower African representation.

Japan’s move signals renewed interest in African engagement, as the US scales back and China’s influence expands across the region.

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LEO becomes Africa’s first AI chatbot to enable remittances

United Bank for Africa (UBA) has introduced cross-border payments via its AI chatbot, LEO, enabling instant transfers across African nations in local currencies.

However, this marks the first time an AI-powered chatbot has facilitated such transactions on the continent.

The feature relies on the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System, developed by Afreximbank, which allows seamless fund transfers between African countries supported by their central banks. It eliminates the need for hard currencies and aims to reduce fees while supporting financial inclusion.

UBA said the service allows customers to send and receive money across borders within seconds through self-service channels, with zero charges for recipients.

The initiative also supports Africa’s wider economic ambitions under the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement.

The bank operates in 20 African countries and serves over 45 million customers worldwide. CEO Oliver Alawuba described the development as a bold step toward digital innovation and Pan-African integration.

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Africa risks being left behind in global AI development

Africa is falling far behind in the global race to develop AI, according to a new report by Oxford University.

The study mapped the location of advanced AI infrastructure and revealed that only 32 countries — just 16% of the world — currently operate major AI data centres.

These facilities are essential for training and developing modern AI systems. In contrast, most African nations remain dependent on foreign technology providers, limiting their control over digital development.

Rather than building local capacity, Africa has essentially been treated as a market for AI products developed elsewhere. Regional leaders have often focused on distributing global tech tools instead of investing in infrastructure for homegrown innovation.

One notable exception is Strive Masiyiwa’s Cassava Technologies, which recently partnered with Nvidia to launch the continent’s first AI factory, which is located in South Africa. The project aims to expand across Egypt, Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria.

Unlike typical data centres, an AI factory is explicitly built to support the full AI lifecycle, from raw data to trained models. Nvidia’s GPUs will power the facility, enabling ‘AI as a service’ to be used by governments, businesses, and researchers across the continent.

Cassava’s model offers a more sustainable vision, where African data is used to create local solutions, instead of exporting value abroad.

Experts argue that Africa needs more such initiatives to reduce dependence and participate meaningfully in the AI economy. An AI Fund supported by leading African nations could help finance new factories and infrastructure.

With time running out, leaders must move beyond surface-level engagement and begin coordinated action to address the continent’s growing digital divide.

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