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artificial intelligence is so critical to africa’s vision for the future that the report suggests that if african companies could capture 10% of the global ai market, africa’s economic growth could reach $1.5 trillion – half of the continent’s current gross domestic product (gdp).

currently, more than 2,400 companies on the african continent have adopted ai technology. most of them (66%) are concentrated in four countries: south africa, kenya, egypt and nigeria. the african ai development report found that the development of ai in africa involves multiple industries, including health, hospitality, insurance and finance, but about 34% are medium-sized companies with less than 100 employees, and 41% are start-ups with less than 10 employees. obviously, ai is still in its early stages in africa.

how can underdeveloped africa use ai?

africa is the youngest and fastest growing continent. from finance to healthcare to agriculture and education, ai will drive long-term development in almost every field and help solve the most challenging problems facing society.

from fraud detection and risk management to portfolio optimization and customer service, ai is expected to help financial service providers make better decisions and reduce costs through automated processes by leveraging advanced machine learning and natural language processing capabilities. using the cloud ecosystem, m-kopa generates daily loan repayment prediction functions through ai and provides health insurance decision support; swiftant has also developed a digital insurance application (dias) solution that uses ai and blockchain to automate claims reporting in order to provide high-standard and safer services to ultra-high net worth customer groups.

in the healthcare sector, ai applications will promote early diagnosis and treatment and strengthen healthcare systems, such as improving clinical experience and supporting better healthcare service delivery. in terms of medical transportation logistics, zipline can determine the most effective delivery routes through ai analysis, and efficiently deliver blood and medical products to remote areas. in rwanda, rural hospitals and clinics can receive necessary medical supplies such as blood, platelets and frozen plasma within 30 minutes of placing an order on zipline.

according to the united states agency for international development (usaid), agriculture sustains the livelihoods of about 70% of rural africans. in the agricultural sector, ai can help manage resources more efficiently. for example, in countries such as nigeria and kenya, startups like ujuzikilimo and farmcrowdy are using ai to analyze soil and weather data to provide farmers with personalized recommendations on crop planting and optimal use, enabling them to make decisions and increase crop yields.

farmvibes.bot targets 80% of smallholder farmers in africa and provides personalized services such as crop recommendations, pest and disease diagnosis, and market insights through ai-driven analysis, allowing farmers to obtain key information such as local weather forecasts, market prices, and soil testing data to make better crop management and production decisions.

which african countries are vigorously developing ai?

currently, the african union (au) has convened experts from african countries to develop a comprehensive continental strategy for the african union artificial intelligence (au-ai) to address ai's technical, ethical, economic, security and social aspects. at the same time, the african continental free trade area is developing a digital trade agreement to promote digital trade on the african continent.

at the national level, only eight of africa’s 54 countries have developed a national ai strategy or policy.

mauritius was the first african country to release relevant policies. in 2018, mauritius released a national ai strategy, aiming to use ai as the cornerstone of the development model and promote socio-economic growth in key development areas such as manufacturing, healthcare, fintech and agriculture.

egypt has established a national artificial intelligence council, a collaboration between government agencies, academia and businesses, and launched a national ai strategy in 2021, which is planned to be implemented in the next three to five years to deepen the application of technology and promote regional cooperation in africa and the arab region. in 2023, the egyptian government passed the egyptian ai charter, which sets out principles for the ethical use of ai.

kenya has extensively mentioned ai in its national digital master plan (2022-2032), combining it with the use of emerging technologies such as blockchain, the internet of things, big data and quantum computing. by establishing a blockchain and artificial intelligence working group, the kenyan government and relevant agencies discussed the application of ai in areas such as financial inclusion, cybersecurity, land ownership, elections and digital identity.

in 2023, rwanda released a national ai policy that provides a roadmap for using ai to achieve sustainable development, aiming to become a global ai research and innovation center, drive economic growth, improve quality of life, and position rwanda as a global innovator in responsible and inclusive ai. other goals include improving the country's 21st century skills and ai literacy, promoting public sector transformation to promote ai adoption, and accelerating responsible ai adoption in the private sector.

ghana is also working closely with smart africa and tfs to plan ghana’s national ai strategy 2023-2033, in consultation with various local stakeholders.

smart zambia, an institute under the office of the president of zambia, is responsible for implementing the country’s e-government master plan (2018-2030) and plans to leverage ai in its broader digital transformation strategy.

nigeria, led by the ministry of communications, innovation and digital economy, is developing a national ai strategy aimed at “responsibly guiding the ai ​​revolution to achieve national goals such as job creation, social inclusion, and sustainable development.”

ethiopia is developing a national ai policy and has been hosting a pan-african ai conference through the ethiopian institute for artificial intelligence since 2022, attracting local and international stakeholders to promote the responsible adoption and development of ai in africa. in 2020, the ethiopian national center for ai and robotics was established to promote ai education through collaboration with local and international research institutions in robotics and ai.

who is hindering the development of ai in africa?

but for africa, the richest 10% of the population own 54% of the wealth; coupled with the fact that the strong economic growth in the past few decades has not brought about corresponding poverty reduction effects, socioeconomic inequality has always been a major reason for the continent's lack of development.

in 2021, the london-based lloyd's register foundation conducted a survey and found that the four regions that least trust the development of ai are central and west africa, south africa, north africa, and east africa. among them, more than 50% of respondents in east africa believe that ai may become a source of danger and harm.

some economists warn that this is because ai will further exacerbate inequality. in the short term, ai will have an adverse impact on middle-level white-collar workers and less impact on the lower-level people. but as western companies take advantage of technologies such as automation, african countries will take on less manufacturing outsourcing business due to their lower labor costs. in africa, nearly 83% of employment is still informal, and job losses from ai development may threaten the emerging middle class, while hindering the prospects for upward economic mobility for people living below the poverty line, further exacerbating the problem of unemployment in the service and manufacturing industries in african countries.

in addition, some african researchers believe that it is too early to consider ai regulation. the industry is still in its infancy due to the high cost of building data infrastructure, limited internet access, lack of funding, and insufficient powerful computers needed to train ai models. shikoh gitau, a computer scientist who founded qubit hub, an ai research lab in nairobi, believes that africa should prioritize the development of the ai ​​industry before trying to regulate the technology. however, the au researchers said that africa should actively formulate regulations to deal with ai issues.

many researchers believe that it is crucial to develop local ai applications suitable for africans so that the power of ai can be used to promote economic growth. african countries must develop local ai models that suit their unique needs and goals, and bring together data from all classes and regions to promote fair and inclusive development.

how ai will change the world remains to be seen, and how the technology itself will evolve over time remains to be seen. but what is certain is that africa is at a critical juncture. with the right approach, the world’s fourth industrial revolution can drive africa’s most inclusive technological revolution and solve the continent’s most enduring challenges.