By kasabamoney 
Africa is buzzing with talk about AI, but is it just hype? Can this technology truly make a difference in a continent still battling major issues?
The African Union (AU) has made AI a top priority, adopting a Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy in July 2024. This strategy focuses on developing AI that is ethical, sustainable, and “Africa-centric.” It aims to ensure Africa isn’t just using AI developed elsewhere, but is actively shaping its own AI solutions. Key goals include building AI skills, managing data responsibly, ensuring access to computing power, creating innovation hubs, and attracting investment. The strategy even proposes a $60 billion African AI Fund to support research and startups. The 2025 Global AI Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, which brought together over 2,000 participants from 90 countries, underscored Africa’s commitment to leading in this space, highlighting education, healthcare applications, and sustainable financing as key areas.
Recognizing that strong AI needs powerful computers, Econet, a major telecom company, announced a partnership with NVIDIA and its subsidiary Cassava. This deal will deploy 3,000 high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs) in Africa, starting with South Africa and Kenya. This huge investment will allow for training advanced AI models on the continent, reducing reliance on outside data centers and boosting data ownership. Econet also launched the Mfungi Supercomputer initiative to train large language models in African languages like Swahili.
AI is making a real difference in health. Companies like Zencey and Eden Care are using AI to streamline patient care, improve diagnoses, and offer telemedicine services in remote areas. AI helps predict disease outbreaks, allowing for quicker responses. The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) is developing a step-by-step plan for African regulators to safely and effectively use AI in healthcare, focusing on solutions that are affordable and accessible, especially in underserved regions. For example, AI-driven tools are being used to analyze X-rays to detect conditions like heart issues and lung diseases.
AI is helping farmers grow more food and be more efficient. The AI4AFS+ initiative, led by the African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS), focuses on using AI to solve agricultural problems.
- “Hello Tractor” connects small farmers with tractor owners using AI to manage operations and predict weather.
- In Kenya, the Kenya Agricultural Observatory Platform provides real-time data to over a million farmers, offering accurate weather forecasts and farming insights.
- In Ghana, AI-based soil testing kits analyze soil and recommend the right fertilizers.
- Farmerline in Ghana uses AI to give farmers market information and farming tips in their local languages, reaching over 1.7 million farmers.
The Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D) program, supported by Canada, has set up AI4D Labs with African universities to research and implement AI solutions for development challenges. This includes labs in Tanzania, Burkina Faso, and Ghana (the Responsible AI Lab at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology).
RobotsMali, a non-profit in Mali, used AI (like ChatGPT and machine translation) to produce over 180 culturally relevant children’s books in local languages at a much lower cost.
Ghana has started to integrate AI learning into its national curriculum, one of the few countries globally to do so.
Platforms like Siyavula in South Africa use AI to provide personalized practice problems in math and science to over 1.5 million students, including those in remote areas.
Chalkboard Education in Ghana gives teachers AI-driven tools to track student progress in real-time, leading to improved student outcomes.
Lomé, Togo July 12, 2025 Africa today presents a stark picture of contrasts. In Togo, political unrest is boiling over as citizens protest President Faure Gnassingbé’s move to effectively extend his rule indefinitely, a situation marked by violent crackdowns and a clear challenge to democratic norms. This upheaval in Togo highlights the deep-seated issues of governance and stability that continue to plague various parts of the continent
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