Even though the continent remains at the wrong end of the global technology gap, advances in artificial intelligence could become a development game changer in Africa.
According to Lacina Koné, director of Smart Africa, AI allows the continent to accelerate information delivery, allowing even interacting with functionally illiterate people and access public services. Undoubtedly, he said, this will help African countries pursue the UN's sustainable development goals, which are expected to be achieved by 2030.
Experts believe that by making more relevant information available, farmers can better plan, for example, while improving health outcomes. But that's not a natural conclusion. African Union Development Authority – A recent white paper created by the New Partnership for African Development (Auda-Nepad), the African Union's Technical Implementation Division argues that AI can significantly increase productivity in areas such as agriculture, healthcare and manufacturing, but achieving these benefits requires a robust digital infrastructure, sound policies and strategic investments in human capital.
Prepared in conjunction with the future of work at Microsoft Research and Philanthropies, University of Pretoria, Lelapa AI, and Oxford University, The Paper, AI, and Africa, South Africa predicts that productivity improvements from generated AI could contribute approximately 0.5% to GDP growth through automation. It also highlighted the dual nature of AI's impact on the labor market. This calls for coordinated efforts to reskill and upskill the workforce, providing opportunities for innovation and new employment, while poses challenges such as job movement in everyday fields.
Koné points out that artificial intelligence lies in digital infrastructure, urban and rural connectivity, and all regions with challenges on the continent. “When it comes to connectivity, only 46% of the population uses the internet,” he pointed out, “this does not mean that only 46% of the population is covered. There is one coverage rate, and the utilization rate is different!” According to him, network coverage reaches around 85%, but actual usage is delayed at around 50%, which is due to the affordable price of internet access, and is out of reach for many people in Africa.
A study by Smart Africa, in collaboration with the World Bank, shows that low penetration rates, limited availability of smart devices, rarity of related content, and cybersecurity concerns are four key issues deciding the future of AI on the continent. Harmony between innovation and policy is also important. “We need laws to clarify the procedures that startups follow regarding the state, to support and encourage them, and not forget the training that Smart Africa Academy offers,” he adds.
“Data is a new oil.”
As AI becomes more mainstream, data and its ownership become even more important. “Data is a new oil,” Conne argues, emphasizing that Africa must retain and control that data. “In our view, data in Africa needs to stay in Africa. The battle of the future is the battle of data. The evolution or revolution of AI depends on the volume or massive amount of digital data. Africa must harmonize its policies for access to sovereignty by having its own data center, as the future of the world is based on data capital.
However, keeping data about the continent means having more data centers. But, as Koné points out, Africa has only a small portion of the world's capabilities. “Of the world's 8,000 data centers, only 152 are in Africa. This is a real danger. We need to change the way we see it. If Africa wants to move forward with access to digital sovereignty, we need to lead it to a digital model that takes into account our values, our culture, our circumstances, and our reality within Africa.”
As the continent seeks to engage in a digital future, Smart Africa, a pan-African institution that is obliged to accelerate the continent's growth by expanding access to digital tools, will become a key club in the continental bags. According to Koné, the organization, founded in 2013 by seven African leaders, currently represents 41 member states and covers 1.2 billion people. He states that its first manifesto “rely relies on the private sector in Africa to stimulate activities and finally, to promote innovation to promote innovation, as it relies on the central focus of socioeconomic development of the continent, to promote and build high-bandwidth infrastructure, to rely on the transparency of our management.”
Koné says he believes that continent-wide harmony policies are important to foster digital transformation. “Regulatory frameworks can be created or broken into ecosystem countries in the digital economy,” he says. It points to the disparity between countries like Singapore and countries in Africa. “Africa must be seen as a vast market,” he emphasizes rather than a gathering of different states.
partnership
Koné explains that Smart Africa pursues its mandate through partnerships with member states, development partners, civil society and academic institutions. He is currently working with African countries to define his own digital approach. Rwanda, for example, focuses on smart cities. Benin on digital identity. Ghana regarding Pan African electronic payments. Ivory Coast concerning cybersecurity.
“We currently follow about 18 master plans at the continental level for the deployment and planning of emerging technology programs. Our approach is much more practical than the bilateral relationship between donor countries and development partners,” he says.
Koné outlines the four core themes driving Smart Africa's work: connectivity, innovation, transformation and acceleration, noting that the project is centered around these key areas. He cites connection projects that encourage connections with two neighboring countries, such as collaboration with Equatorial Guinea.
He mentions his involvement with the Ivory Coast's Continental Cybersecurity Master Plan. This created a network of African cybersecurity authorities and created regulatory and harmony efforts related to artificial intelligence. Through the Smart Africa Digital Academy, we work with the World Bank and other institutions to provide training to policymakers, civil servants and startups, but also include science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs.
Utilize the power of AI
It points out that Smart Africa's mission is to leverage the power of AI to advance the continent's development goals, which could be a $2.9 trillion market opportunity that must be seized between now and 2030.
“For us, AI is not just a revolution, it's an evolution of the ecosystem we're already practicing, because it's based on a pillar that saw a lot of progress. We want to implement all of these projects (innovation, harmony, training), which is the battlefield for the next two years.”
