AI in Africa: A Guide to the Current and Future Trends

Current Trends of AI Deployment in Africa

According to a recent report by the Atlantic Council1, AI deployment in Africa is still in its early stages, with most applications being experimental or pilot projects.

However, there are a few African countries where the factors needed to successfully adopt AI technologies are rapidly converging. These countries include Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, and South Africa. These countries have relatively strong digital infrastructure, data availability, innovation ecosystems, and policy frameworks that enable AI development and implementation.

Some sectors witnessing the most AI applications in Africa are financial services, agriculture, and health care. In financial services, AI is being used to provide credit scoring, fraud detection, customer service, and financial inclusion. In agriculture, AI is being used to optimize crop production, pest control, irrigation, and market access. In healthcare, AI is being used to improve diagnosis, treatment, disease surveillance, and telemedicine.

Some of the notable examples of AI solutions that are being deployed at scale in Africa are:

• M-Pesa: A mobile money platform that uses AI to provide financial services to millions of unbanked and underbanked people in Kenya and other African countries.

• Zindi: A data science platform that connects African data scientists with real-world problems and offers them incentives to solve them using AI.

• InstaDeep: A Tunisian AI start-up that provides cutting-edge AI solutions for various domains, such as logistics, gaming, and energy. It recently received USD$100 million in Series A funding.

• Ubenwa: A Nigerian AI start-up that uses machine learning to analyze infant cries and detect signs of birth asphyxia, a leading cause of infant mortality.

• Ada Health: A German-based AI start-up that provides an AI-powered chatbot that can diagnose symptoms and provide health advice. It has partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to offer its service for free in Ethiopia.

Future Opportunities of AI in Africa

According to a report by McKinsey & Company, AI could contribute up to USD $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, of which USD $1.2 trillion could be generated in Africa. This would represent a 5.6% increase in Africa’s GDP by 2030.

Some of the opportunities that AI could provide for Africa are:

• Enhancing productivity and efficiency: AI could help automate routine tasks, optimize processes, and augment human capabilities across various sectors. This could lead to improved performance, reduced costs, and increased output.

• Solving social and environmental problems: AI could help address some of the pressing challenges that Africa faces, such as poverty, hunger, health, education, climate change, and security. This could lead to improved well-being, quality of life, and resilience.

• Fostering innovation and entrepreneurship: AI could create new markets, products, services, and business models that could spur economic growth and diversification. This could lead to increased competitiveness, job creation, and income generation.

• Promoting inclusion and empowerment: AI could help democratize access to information, knowledge, opportunities, and services that could improve the lives of millions of people, especially marginalized and vulnerable groups. This could lead to increased participation, representation, and agency.

• AI has the potential to revolutionize farming practices, making them more efficient and sustainable. From predictive weather models to soil analysis, AI-powered solutions can help African farmers maximize their yields and improve food security across the continent.

• Access to quality healthcare through AI-powered telemedicine and diagnostic tools. In remote areas with limited access to medical facilities, AI-driven telehealth services can provide life-saving consultations and reduce healthcare inequalities.

• AI-driven credit scoring, fraud detection, and personalized financial services are helping to extend financial inclusion to millions who were previously excluded from the formal banking sector.

• Africa boasts some of the world's most diverse and endangered ecosystems. AI is playing a pivotal role in wildlife protection efforts. Drones and AI-powered algorithms are used to monitor and combat illegal poaching, while AI-driven data analysis aids in wildlife research and habitat preservation.

• With so much linguistic diversity in Africa, AI-powered natural language processing and machine learning algorithms can help bridge the language barrier and improve access to education for people who speak local or regional languages. This can empower more individuals to participate in educational programs and increase overall literacy rates.

• AI can also assist in addressing other pressing social issues such as crime prevention and urban planning, leading to safer and more inclusive communities.

AI offers immense opportunities for Africa’s future. It is imperative that Africa embraces AI as a strategic priority and leverages its potential to advance its development goals and aspirations.

It is equally imperative that Africa also addresses the various issues and risks that AI entails and ensures that it is used in an ethical, responsible, and inclusive manner. This way, Africa can harness AI for good and become a leader in the global AI landscape.