In an effort to position Africa as a pivotal player in the global artificial intelligence economy, Smart Africa—a coalition of 40 nations representing over 1 billion people—has launched the Africa AI Council, a pan-continental body uniting governments, tech giants, academics, and civil society leaders.
Announced at a high-level summit in Rabat, Morocco, on February 4, 2025, the council aims to harness Africa’s demographic advantage as home to the world’s youngest and fastest-growing workforce, leveraging AI to drive digital transformation and economic competitiveness.
The council’s mission centers on fostering collaboration, innovation, and ethical governance to ensure AI benefits all segments of society. “AI is not just technology—it’s an African arrow that, when aimed with inclusive policies, can propel us toward shared prosperity,” said Lacina Koné, CEO of Smart Africa.
The initiative seeks to align disparate national strategies into a cohesive framework, addressing gaps in infrastructure, talent development, and regulatory harmonization.
The 15-member council will debut at June’s Global AI Summit on Africa in Kigali, hosted by Rwanda’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) and the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, in partnership with the World Economic Forum.
Ahead of the summit, consultative sessions will convene at the Paris AI Action Summit and Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress, where Smart Africa plans to secure partnerships and refine its agenda.
Critical to the council’s strategy is its collaboration with Qhala, a Nairobi-based tech hub backed by a Gates Foundation grant to develop an AI governance toolkit, talent readiness index, and blueprints for a Pan-African AI Research Center. These tools aim to equip governments and startups with resources to navigate AI ethics, data privacy, and workforce upskilling.
Despite optimism, challenges loom. Africa currently contributes less than 2% of global AI research and faces a $10 billion annual funding shortfall for digital infrastructure.
Yet with AI adoption in sectors like healthcare and agriculture growing at 25% annually, the council’s success could redefine Africa’s role in a tech-centric future—one where its young population shapes, rather than follows, global trends.
