Kenya's politics gets an AI hot potato, Egypt readies its AI strat
Weekly news digest
Good morning, and welcome to Africa AI News – Weekly News Digest.
Let’s get straight into today’s issue. People in tech moan a lot about how fast things move. Last week AfricaAINews.com highlighted the impressive speed with which Kenya was moving ahead with strategy, policy and now legislation; and how this was perplexingly hasty with the shibboleth of “threats to national security” lurking off-stage… well, that’s all happening already. But someone needs to chart a course for harnessing AI in Africa, and currently Kenya has the bit between its teeth.
On a lighter note, there are some interesting applications stories, or in this case meta-stories, like how do you assign liability in an AI-driven accident.
If you have something interesting to share, we’re all ears. Reply to this mail and we’ll get it.
On with this week’s issue!
/Roger
Policy
Kenyan political view on AI becomes a hot potato
#Kenya #policy — Hot on the heels of last week’s story about Kenya opening its draft AI policy for comment, we get a lurid cocktail of a Russian disinformation campaign that was hung on a government livestock vaccination programme, with a bolshy opposition politician throwing rocks, and key government figures talking of a crackdown on AI-generated disinformation (fine) and AI-generated satire (not fine). (The Eastleigh Voice)
While media and youth raise red flags
#Kenya #policy — Africa Check noted this in it’s report on disinformation just out, while deepfakes of these key figures in graves is top of the news and a threat to national security and to people’s lives. (TV47)
Kenya to push back on global tech’s hunger for training data
#Kenya #policy — Staying in Kenya, its new strategy could lead to legislation which would aim to prohibit foreign companies using Kenyan’s data to train their models especially when the data would be moved offshore. Horses, stable door, etc. (The East African)
Morocco and Saudi Arabia to collaborate more on AI
#Morocco #Saudi #collaboration —Morocco's Minister of Digital Transition and Administration Reform met with the Saudi ambassador to discuss and commit to collaboration in key areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation, and administrative reform. (Tech Africa Review)
AI Strategy
Egypt launches National AI Strategy 2025–2030
#Egypt #AIstrategy — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi launched the country’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy for 2025–2030 this week, updating the 2020-2022 version published some time back. The strategy aims to position Egypt as a leading AI hub, up the ICT sector’s contribution to GDP to 7.7% by 2030, create 250+ AI companies and 30,000 AI professionals by 2030. Download strategy (PDF). (Middle East AI News)
R&D
Ethiopia to establish its first AI research centre
#Ethiopia #R&D — Ethiopia's Council of Ministers has approved the establishment of the first-ever AI research centre in Ethiopia. The centre is expected to help safeguard the national interests of the East African countries and create conducive environment to nurture AI start-ups. (Ethiopian Business Review)
South Africa/Kenyan unis win colab research grant
#Kenya #SouthAfrica #education #grants — Zetech University, a private university in Kiamba County and the storied Rhodes University in South Africa will jointly work on research projects after winning a grant from SA’s NRF (National Research Foundation, under Dept Science, Technology & Innovation). No monetary value was given by Zetech sources. (The Star)
Education
Microsoft wants to train 1 million South Africans on AI skills
#SouthAfrica #education — Microsoft plans to train 1 million people in South Africa on AI and cyber security by 2026, says MS Africa president, Lillian Barnard, speaking at an event on Thursday. It lays out no plan or budget, or what “train”means, but claims to have trained four million Africans in the last five years, and committed to train 30 million Africans in the next five. (Reuters)
Nigeria’s first AI University to open in Lagos
#Nigeria #AIuniversity — Plans are afoot to open a specialised AI university in Epe, Lagos. After years of planning, the project has secured the support of the National Universities Commission (NUC). Named Wini University, backers aim to use the venture to transform Lagos into Africa’s innovation hub. (Abuja City Journal)
Kenyan NGO uses AI to lure kids back into farming
#Kenya #education — Fewer and fewer young people are going into farming, even as it professionalises and becomes a more academically-led occupation. But perhaps agri-tech and agri-AI will lure them back, says tech business boss. (Farmers Review Africa)
Kiambu healthcare staff trained on use of AI
#Kenya #education — Better medical people with better AI skills that they are better at using … the county health department, working with Science for Africa Foundation, introduced AI-driven clinical decision support systems at workshops, tailored to address non-communicable diseases. (Kenya New Agency)
ACTS opens registration for AI4D AI & ML scholarship
#Africa #scholarships — The African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) has opened registrations for the 2025 Artificial Intelligence for Development in Africa- AI4D AI and Machine Learning Scholarship Programme. The scholarship will train PhD students and support women candidates in sub-Saharan Africa. (OFA)
Applications
Botswana to harness AI for food security
#Botswana #agriculture — Botswana president Duma Boko has revealed plans to harness AI for food security and economic growth. Speaking at Davos 2025, the president shared plans to integrate AI into farming practices, enhancing efficiency and boosting yields across the country. (Agribusiness Botswana)
New overview of use of AI in radiology in Kenya
#Kenya #healthcare — Using AI to make interpreting medical imaging better. Yes, the one use case that seems like a genuine winner. Also, autism, chest infections, and becoming a key part of delivering healthcare. (Business Daily Africa)
Not so fast, says paper on AI use in Digital Oncology
#Morocco #healthcare — Paper now published looks at the use of AI models in detecting, diagnosing and tracking of tumours and lesions, and finds this application needs better data, structured radically better, to be dependable. (JCO Global Oncology)
Uganda needs AI to reduce court backlog
#Uganda #legal — Well, the notoriously backlogged court system needs something, anything. Despite a number of modernisation efforts, backlogs have dropped by less than one percent in the last few years. Legal AI promises a silver bullet. (New Vision)
Ad agency develops in-house South African people pic generator
#SouthAfrica #advertising - Global ad agency VML has developed an image GenAI to product pics for ads that look like genuine South Africans. Called Asili AI, the Swahili (er…) word for ‘origin’ or ‘essence’, the tool uses Stable Diffusion’s Flux with a training regimen tailored to purpose. (The Media Online)
Regulation
Using AI in high risk applications in Egypt: a legal view
#Egypt #regulation #legal — Short paper new out examining the civil liability issues of AI-controlled systems causing damages to people or property, and ensuring that developers, owners and users face appropriate liability under the Egyptian Civil Code. (Lexology)
Kenya Media Council invites public comment on AI guidelines
#Kenya #regulation #media — The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) has invited Kenyans to provide feedback on draft guidelines for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the media. Kenyan media organisations are also looking to stay ahead of the curve on the impact and application of AI on their businesses. (The Star)
Emerging Markets
Emerging markets face AI readiness challenges
#Africa #emergingmarkets — A G42-Economist Impact report reveals only 12% of businesses in emerging markets feel ready to adopt AI. Infrastructure limitations, talent shortages, and underinvestment are cited as key hurdles, despite significant economic potential. (Middle East AI News)
[ This newsletter was human edited and AI debited ]