Kenya unveils AI strategy; Cassava picks Nvidia for data centre push
Africa AI News weekly digest...
Good morning, and welcome to this week’s issue of Africa AI News – Weekly News Digest.
This week saw some interesting developments in policy, as Kenya follows Ethiopia’s jump to a tech-forward future, publishing its strategy document to bring execution wood to fill in the arrows of national policies published last year.
The big data centre upgrade announcement by Cassava (Africa Data Centres) was a little over the top, but does point to a significant uptick in infrastructure build on our continent, funded by a variety of (mostly) private sector sources. Where the rubber meets the road, however, is the one burning question. Do Africa’s AI startups and tech entrepreneurs have access to a cheaper, better supply of accessible compute resources and software tools?
You tell us… have you seen prices drop or AI-centric features expand in services from regional DC operators?
And now, on with this week’s issue!
/Roger
Policy
Kenya launches National AI Strategy 2025-2030
#Kenya #policy — The Ministry of Information, Communications and Digital Economy (MICDE) launched the Kenya Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy 2025-2030 yesterday. Developed through wide consultations, the strategy aims to position Kenya as a leader in AI innovation both in Africa and globally. (Africa AI News)
Zambia’s $120 million funding comes from World Bank
#Zambia #funding - A little more info has appeared about the Zambia $120 million funding: it was not US-led, but a World Bank initiative. Announced at the World Bank’s Global Digital Summit it will be used for four interventions in Zambia: Rural Connectivity, AI Innovation Labs (in Lusaka and Ndola to foster AI-driven solutions in agriculture, healthcare, and fintech), Digital Skills Training (with Microsoft and AWS Academy) and Smart Governance (digitize 90% of public services under Smart Zambia). (IT Edge News)
Nigeria Human Rights Commission plans AI regulation
#Nigeria #policy — Nigeria's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is set to regulate AI to address concerns over its impact on human rights. Its guidelines will focus on ensuring AI systems are ethical, fair, and transparent, with an emphasis on protecting privacy and freedoms. Ambitious, and possibly flying in the face of hell-for-leather enthusiasm for AI from other branches of government. (Voice of Nigeria)
UNESCO partners with Zambia for AI readiness assessment
#Zambia #regulation - UNESCO is collaborating with Zambia to assess its AI readiness, focusing on legal, technical, and economic aspects. The four-month study aims to align Zambia’s AI development with ethical standards. UNESCO also invited Zambia to the Global Forum on AI Ethics in June 2025. (Efficacy News)
Data Centres
Cassava plans major Nvidia-led upgrades to Africa Data Centres
#Africa #datacentres — In a PR-tastic announcement, Cassava Technologies will build “AI Factories”, upgrading its Africa Data Center facilities in South Africa by June, and later rolling out to Egypt, Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria. Done under the Nvidia Cloud Partner (NCP) reference architecture, details and values were not disclosed. ADC will leverage Cassava’s fibre networks for connectivity to create not only an AI Factory, but also ‘AI as a Service’ (AIaas), the new mot de jour. (TechCentral)
Funding
Ghana’s Fido secures $30 million to expand AI lending tech
#Ghana #fintech — Fido, an Israeli-African fintech, has raised $30 million in a Series B funding round. The company plans to extend its AI-powered digital lending services across Africa. The round was led by BlueOrchard Finance, FMO, Stanbic Bank Ghana and Growth Investment Partners. (Fintech Futures)
Egypt targets 250 AI startups by 2030
#Egypt #startups — Egypt plans to support 250 AI-driven startups by 2030 under its National AI Strategy. The initiative includes venture capital backing and policy incentives to establish Egypt as an AI innovation hub. (Middle East AI News)
AI Labs
Makerere University launches AI and Data Science Center
#Uganda #research - Makerere University has opened the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (Mak-CAD) to drive AI innovation in Africa. The center will focus on AI solutions for healthcare, agriculture, and climate action while fostering collaboration among African researchers and global partners. (GovInfo Hub)
Applications
Interview: Autogon AI creates tools for locally-hosted AI as a Service
#Nigeria #AIaaS — Nigerian-US startup Autogon AI is revolutionising AI integration with its drag-and-drop platform, enabling businesses to create custom AI-powered tools like fraud detection and customer behaviour analysis. The platform eliminates the need for extensive coding, cutting development time and costs. (Techpoint Africa)
AI amplifies election disinformation in Namibia, report finds
#Namibia #elections — A report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) reveals that AI-generated content played a major role in spreading false narratives during Namibia’s 2024 elections. Despite their low quality, AI-created images and videos significantly influenced voter opinions. The findings call for better awareness and regulation of disinformation. (Namibian Sun)
Namibia and SA varsities partner on AI-driven energy solutions
#Namibia #energy — Namibia’s Namibia Energy Institute (NEI) and South Africa’s Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) are collaborating to integrate AI into low-carbon energy research. Their partnership aims to enhance energy efficiency through AI-driven techniques, focusing on renewable energy and smart grid technologies. (NUST Website)
Airtel Africa launches AI-powered spam alert service
#Nigeria #phishing — Airtel Africa has launched an AI-powered Spam Alert Service in Nigeria to protect users from the rising threat of spam messages and phishing attacks. The service, free for Airtel subscribers, uses AI to identify and warn customers about suspicious SMS messages in real time. It will roll out in other countries over the next few months. (Malawi24)
Media
CODE launches $5m grant for AI investigative reporting in Nigeria
#Nigeria #media - Connected Development (CODE) has introduced a $5 million grant to support ethical AI investigative journalism in Nigeria. Announced at a media dialogue in Abuja, the initiative seeks to enhance transparency and accuracy in AI reporting, promoting responsible AI coverage in the press. (Blueprint)
Conferences
Major national AI Summit on Africa in Kigali April 3-4
#Rwanda #conferences — The Global Al Summit on Africa, in partnership with the World Economic Forum, happens in Kigali on April 3-4. It features a number of heavyweights from the ITU, AU, UN and more, as well as Eric Schmidt (early Google CEO) and Strive Masiyaw (of Cassava, mentioned above). There is a Webinar on 31 March to get the ball rolling. (Centre for 4IR)
Climate, Sustainability and AI meet in Tunis
#Tunisia #conferences — The International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Climate and Sustainability in Economics and Finance (AI-CSEF) will take place in Tunis, on April 17. The conference provides a platform for academics, policymakers, and practitioners to explore the integration of AI in addressing the urgent challenges at the intersection of climate change, sustainability and financial systems. (SciencesConf)
[ This newsletter was human edited and AI augmentuated ]