AI News – Africa

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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#ai #africa #development #podcast #energy

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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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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From his roots as an African who spent 2/3 of his life in America, who became captivated by the rich culture and potential of Africa, this conversation will change how you see technology, and the future of the continent.

In this episode, I sit down with Amadou, a visionary software engineer who left Silicon Valley to build the future in Ethiopia. We dive deep into his incredible journey and his unwavering mission to make Africa globally competitive through technology, talent, and a rediscovery of our own history.

We discuss:
⏱️00:00 – The powerful reason he left the US for Africa
⏱️10:25 – The shocking truth about ChatGPT, Gemini, and why they are NOT built for us
⏱️25:40 – The hidden data colonization happening on WhatsApp right now
⏱️35:15 – The urgent need for African LLMs and data sovereignty
⏱️45:00 – DALA REVEALED: The new AI tool built for African languages and mobile phones
⏱️55:30 – How AI will reshape education, healthcare, and creativity in Africa
⏱️01:10:00 – The story of Mansa Musa and why knowing our history is a tech superpower
⏱️01:20:00 – The #1 thing holding back Ethiopian & African startups

This is more than a podcast; it’s a manifesto for the next generation of African builders.

AI in Africa, Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Ethiopia, African Tech, Startup, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, ChatGPT, LLM, Software Engineering, Diaspora, Talent, Mansa Musa, History, DALA, Future of AI, Coding, Silicon Valley, Amadou, Gaba, DeepSeek

#AI #Africa #Technology #Ethiopia #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #ChatGPT #Diaspora

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly shifting from theory to real-world deployment, redefining how economies grow, how businesses compete, and critically, how people work. For Africa, where demographics are a strategic advantage, the central question is no longer whether AI will disrupt the labour market, but whether the workforce can evolve fast enough to keep pace. Joining CNBC Africa for this discussion are; Prof. Olayinka David-West, Dean at the Lagos Business School, Emmanuel Okeleji, the CEO and Co Founder at SeamlessHR and Raphael Obodugo an AI Expert and Founder of AVAE.

In this fireside chat, Strive Masiyiwa (Founder and Executive Chairman, Econet Global & Cassava Technologies) joins Oswald Jumira (CEO, Liquid C2) to explore how Africa can lead in the global AI revolution.

They discuss the continent’s growing AI infrastructure, the importance of ethical innovation, and how Africa’s tech talent can shape transformative, homegrown solutions. This conversation highlights how AI can redefine the continent’s role in the global economy, driving progress, connectivity, and opportunity for all.

Featured: Mr. Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Executive Chairman, Econet Global and Cassava Technologies and Mr Oswald Jumira, CEO of Liquid C2

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Now, one of the biggest topics during this year’s UN General Assembly is Artificial Intelligence. Leaders from around the world gathered to debate and define what responsible AI might look like on an international stage, and so did BBC’s Focus on Africa. On the sidelines of the UNGA, Waihiga Mwaura gathered with senior leaders, policy makers and young innovators from across the continent to find out, whether Africa, which is projected to be a quarter of the world’s population by 2050, can keep up with the speed in which AI technology is accelerating? And if AI will change work as we know it?

Presenter: Waihiga Mwaura
Producer: Priscilla Ng’ethe Koinange
Camera: Kasra Karimi and Phil Bligh, Marina Daras

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