AI News – Africa

Although Africa is home to a huge proportion of the world’s languages, many are missing when it comes to the development of AI.

Most AI tools, such as ChatGPT, are trained on English as well as other European and Chinese languages.

But as many African languages are mostly spoken rather than written down, there is a lack of text to train AI on to make it useful for speakers of those languages.

Researchers who have been trying to address this issue have recently released what is thought to be the largest known dataset of African languages.

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There’s a common African proverb: “When elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers.” Policy researcher Nanjira Sambuli says we must apply this thinking to today’s AI evolution, asking: When tech giants battle for dominance, who gets trampled in the process? She introduces a new ethical compass for AI, showing how people across the continent are charting a different path for the future of tech. (Recorded at TED2025 on April 9, 2025)

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In this episode we dive into the story behind a R500M AI business and ask if South Africa could be breeding the next generation of Elon Musks.

Discover the vision, risks, and breakthroughs shaping the country’s place in the global AI race.

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In this episode of ‘Europolis: the Global Europe podcast’, Chloe Teevan talks to Melody Musoni to explore how African innovators, researchers, and policymakers are shaping an AI ecosystem that responds to local realities. It highlights a shift from being consumers of technology to producers of homegrown solutions that are already transforming sectors like agriculture, health, and education.

The discussion tackles the two sides of the AI debate in Africa: the pessimists, who worry about risks like data bias and the push from Big Tech for profit , and the optimists, who see a chance to tackle long-standing challenges. A central theme is that African countries are determined not to be left behind in the Fourth Industrial Revolution as they were in the past.

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What needs to happen before AI can take off in Africa?

Rose Mutiso talks us through the current state of energy and digital infrastructure in Africa, why leapfrogging is not guaranteed with AI, and what fundamental bottlenecks need to be addressed.

This is an episode from VoxDev’s new podcast series, Ideas in Development. You can listen wherever you get your podcasts:
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In this powerful TEDx talk, ethnographic researcher Dr. Najeeb Abdulhamid explores a vital question: How might we leverage AI to empower Africa’s workforce for the future? As co-author of AI and the Future of Work in Africa whitepaper, Dr. Najeeb offers a grounded, thought-provoking perspective on the opportunities and risks that generative AI brings to the continent. From transforming agriculture and healthcare to supporting rural entrepreneurs, he envisions a future shaped by AI for Africa, by Africa—but only if we invest in the right skills, infrastructure, and inclusive policies. Najeeb G. Abdulhamid is an ethnographic researcher at Microsoft Research Africa (MSR Africa), based in Nairobi, Kenya. His work is dedicated to understanding how people interact with technology and leveraging these insights to develop actionable design solutions that empower workers.

Najeeb earned his PhD in Computer Science from Brunel University(opens in new tab), London, and holds an MSc in Information Systems from the University of Aberdeen(opens in new tab), Scotland, UK. His academic journey has equipped him with a profound understanding of the technological landscape. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

What happens when a system designed to guarantee the poorest Kenyans access to the highest attainable standard of healthcare ends up overcharging them for health insurance, using their living conditions and lifestyle to determine premiums?

When the Kenyan government replaced NHIF with the Social Health Authority (SHA), it promised universal health coverage for all. But behind the scenes, an AI system known as Proxy Means Testing (PMT) was deployed to decide how much every Kenyan should pay.

Africa Uncensored and Lighthouse Reports investigate the secretive AI algorithm behind Kenya’s Social Health Authority (SHA). We expose how a flawed mathematical formula is overcharging the poor and denying healthcare to millions.

#ErrorByDesign is produced by Joy Kirigia, Purity Mukami, and Gabriel Geiger as a collaboration between Africa Uncensored, Lighthouse Reports, and The Guardian.

CHAPTERS:
0:00 – Healthcare Decided by Algorithm
1:21 – The Launch of SHA in Kenya
2:52 – Investigating the Secret AI System
3:43 – Patients Denied Care
5:04 – The Flawed Registration Process
9:20 – The End of NHIF
11:12 – Proxy Means Testing Explained
13:31 – Decoding the Mathematical Formula
16:40 – How We Audited The System
22:08 – The Government Knew
25:50 – The Warning
32:25 – The Failing Appeals Process
38:54 – Systemic Exclusion?
43:21 – The Financial Crisis & Fraud
45:48 – Demanding a Redesign

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Nations like Kenya are looking to scale up their ability to meet Africa’s artificial intelligence needs. Recently, the likes of Zambia, Zimbabwe and most recently Ghana turned down deals to store citizens’ data in the United States. For France, a summit like the Africa Forward one in the Kenyan capital Nairobi is an opportunity to offer a third way between US and Chinese tech. We bring you a special edition of The Debate from the summit in Nairobi.
#AfricaForward #AI #Kenya

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Africa’s artificial intelligence (AI) landscape is heating up. A 2024 Afrilabs report identified more than 2,400 AI-focused companies active across the continent—41% of them startups, with half clustered in just seven countries—and even more emerging today. These innovators are tackling critical challenges in healthcare, education, and agriculture, from diagnosing diseases in Zambia to helping Kenyan farmers detect crop threats. With a young, digital-first population and rapid tech adoption, Africa is primed for scalable, homegrown AI solutions. According to Google, AI could add up to $30 billion to sub-Saharan Africa’s economy by 2030, while GSMA projects it could boost the continent’s GDP by 3%, or $2.9 trillion.
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Still, significant hurdles remain. Infrastructure gaps—such as limited access to large datasets and weak cloud capacity—are slowing AI growth. The continent’s average AI readiness score sits at just 26.9, highlighting the urgent need for stronger digital infrastructure. Combined with inconsistent regulations and a tightening funding landscape, many African startups face an uphill battle to scale, despite rising demand for AI-powered tools.
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Yet progress is building momentum. Rwanda, Senegal, and Benin have launched national AI strategies, with Nigeria drafting its own. Meanwhile, Cassava Technologies is spearheading private-sector efforts, partnering with Nvidia to roll out advanced AI infrastructure in South Africa by June 2025, with expansion plans for Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria. These initiatives are helping lay the groundwork for a robust, innovation-friendly ecosystem capable of supporting digital transformation at scale.
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This momentum was on full display at Africa’s first global AI summit, held in Rwanda in April, which brought together more than 1,000 tech leaders, researchers, and policymakers. As governments and businesses rally around AI’s potential, Africa is positioning itself as a rising force in the global tech landscape. With continued investment, stronger infrastructure, and a focus on ethics and inclusion, AI could become one of the continent’s most powerful engines of economic growth.
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✅ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡ @spotlightinafrica !

Digital workers in Kenya had to sift through horrific online content to train AI, but say they were underpaid, overworked, and got inadequate mental health support. So they’re fighting back.

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