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Amid global AI fragmentation, Kigali set the stage for Africa’s digital rise—but real influence will hinge on infrastructure, inclusion, and execution.
Image Source: Getty
Africa stands at a crossroads in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution. Although AI bridges transformative economic opportunities with social development in Africa, its availability and efficacy remain rather sparse across the continent. Worth US$4.92 billion, Africa currently represents only 2.5 percent of the global AI market. With AI projected to add US$19.9 trillion to the global economy by 2030, Africa risks getting sequestered as a mere consumer in the future unless it acts decisively now.
The mechanics of AI entail training algorithms on massive datasets to perform complex tasks, often relying on powerful Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). The technology already demonstrates significant potential in Africa—especially in agriculture and healthcare. In agriculture, AI tools are employed to analyse rainfall, soil conditions, and crop health, helping farmers increase yields. Within healthcare, AI is being deployed to track disease outbreaks and enhance medical information dissemination in remote areas.
However, these applications depend on high-speed internet and robust computing power. Africa’s internet penetration stands at just 43 percent, with very few countries, such as Morocco, Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria, possessing the necessary infrastructure. This leaves a significant portion of the continent at risk of exclusion. Moreover, Africa’s contribution to global AI data is minimal, limiting the relevance and accuracy of AI tools for local contexts. The unfortunate truth is that Africa has not yet fully realised the potential of AI, largely due to insufficient infrastructure.
In April 2025, Rwanda hosted the inaugural Global AI Summit on Africa to urgently position Africa as an active contributor in the global AI ecosystem and close the gap between its potential and current participation in the AI-driven economy. By gathering policymakers, investors, innovators, and academics, the summit sought to spur investment in digital infrastructure, workforce development, and inclusive policy-making to ensure Africa is able to leverage its demographic dividend effectively and is not marginalised in contributing to the future of AI.
Most African data is stored on servers outside the continent, raising/prompting legal and ethical questions/uncertainty over jurisdiction and user privacy.
Additionally, the leaders at the Kigali summit collectively pledged US$60 billion. The fund will be used to build AI architecture, support African startups, and promote AI research and development. To complement this move, Rwanda’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Innovation—in collaboration with the Gates Foundation—announced the launch of Africa’s first AI Scaling Hub. With a budget of US$7.5 million, this initiative will focus on implementing AI in the fields of healthcare, education, and agriculture.
Nonetheless, the bigger question that the summit almost narrowly evaded was the source of the US$60 billion fund. In another former instance, during the famous 2001 Abuja Declaration, African nations pledged to allocate 15 percent of their budgets annually to healthcare. However, no country could achieve the targets—except South Africa and Cabo Verde. If the pattern repeats, the onus for funding may once again be placed on foreign donors, primarily multinational corporations. Major companies such as—BlackRock, Microsoft, and MGX (a UAE-backed firm) have already announced a US$100 billion global AI fund, with a significant portion reserved for Africa.
Furthermore, tech giants—Google and Microsoft—have garnered a weighty/hefty presence in Africa, with data centres in Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. Google has extended a US$1 billion financial support to advancing Africa’s digital infrastructure. On the flip side, these investments are also anticipated to reinforce inadvertent digital colonialism. For instance, despite Africa's linguistic diversity of over 2,000 languages, Google only supports 60, which limits AI's reach and effectiveness.
Concerns regarding data sovereignty and regulatory frameworks also persist. Most African data is stored on servers outside the continent, raising/prompting legal and ethical questions/uncertainty over jurisdiction and user privacy. Meanwhile, African data continues to remain underrepresented in AI training models, which can also result in biased outcomes and systems ill-suited to African realities. There were barely any instances of discussion in this context.
The African Union (AU) made a significant advance in this area when, in July 2024, it launched a Continental AI Strategy.
The regulatory gap poses another crucial hurdle. Today, less than 10 African countries (Benin, Egypt, Mauritius, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Tunisia) have national AI strategies or policies. In contrast, the rest of the countries lack comprehensive national frameworks. The African Union (AU) made a significant advance in this area when, in July 2024, it launched a Continental AI Strategy. However, these strategies are bound to remain symbolic unless practical policies and enforcement mechanisms are designed to augment their implementation..
Globally, the conversation on the right path to develop AI remains fragmented. At the February 2025 Paris AI Summit, divisions were evident between Europe’s risk-averse approach, America’s innovation-driven model, and China’s state-led strategy. Even though several African leaders were in attendance, a concerted African voice remained absent. The event further underscored the need for Africa-specific platforms to shape its digital future.
For the continent to grow its share and benefit from the AI revolution, it must rapidly scale infrastructure, upskill its workforce, and create inclusive and enforceable policies.
Nonetheless, the Kigali summit marked a symbolic step toward African-led AI development. The forthcoming AI for Good Impact Africa event in Johannesburg and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Annual Meeting in Kigali, both scheduled for October 2025, offer renewed opportunities to align global AI standards with Africa’s distinct priorities and developmental contexts. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has also vowed to advocate for African AI interests during its upcoming G20 Summit presidency.
For the continent to grow its share and benefit from the AI revolution, it must rapidly scale infrastructure, upskill its workforce, and create inclusive and enforceable policies. The Kigali summit laid the foundation, but the real test will be its execution, ensuring that AI in Africa is transformative both in theory and practice.
Samir Bhattacharya is an Associate Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation
The views expressed above belong to the author(s). ORF research and analyses now available on Telegram! Click here to access our curated content — blogs, longforms and interviews.
Samir Bhattacharya is an Associate Fellow at ORF where he works on geopolitics with particular reference to Africa in the changing global order. He has a ...
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