Artificial intelligence is set to generate $2.9 trillion for Africa by 2030, alongside the creation of half a million jobs each year and a path out of poverty for over 11 million people, according to Yves Iradukunda, Rwanda’s Ministry of ICT and Innovation Permanent Secretary. This ambitious projection framed the discussions at Africa’s first global AI summit, held April 3–4 in Kigali, where over 90 countries gathered to shape the continent’s AI-driven digital future.
Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé, the guest of honor at the summit, emphasized the importance of a tailored, strategic approach for Africa’s AI development, focusing on health care, education, and agriculture. However, realizing this vision will require significant infrastructure improvements. Many of Africa’s digital datasets are stored outside the continent, limiting access and sovereignty over its own information.
Leaders also raised concerns about Africa becoming a passive consumer of AI technologies influenced by Western data and biases. Kenyan lawyer Ikram Abdirahman warned that using foreign training data could perpetuate harmful stereotypes, especially in healthcare applications that fail to address diseases prevalent in Africa, such as malaria and Ebola.
Furthermore, the need for linguistic and cultural inclusion in AI development was highlighted, with a call for systems that reflect Africa’s linguistic diversity. Francis Kombe, CEO of EthiXPERT, advocated for training AI systems in local languages, starting with Kiswahili, in order to make AI more inclusive and representative of Africa’s unique context.
Despite challenges, the vision of a thriving, AI-powered Africa was set forth, with the goal of using the technology to uplift the continent economically and socially.
