Google commits $5.8m for AI skills; Ethiopia uses AI for census
Africa AI News weekly digest...
Good morning!
And welcome to the zeroth issue of Africa AI News – Weekly News Digest!
Africa AI News is edited by Roger Hislop, and published in partnership with Middle East AI News, the largest, sharpest and most in-touch news site for AI-related news for the Middle East — and now brings focused news and insight to Africa’s AI scene.
This zero issue is pretty rich with fresh news, we hope you find it interesting and informative. And if you’re getting this, you’re our first subscribers! Thank you for your interest, and your support in independent technology news journalism.
There have been some interesting announcements made over past week including Google’s $15 million commitment to AI skills programme in Sub-Saharan Africa; a new minister for digital transition in Morocco; and African journalists see AI as a disruptor for newsrooms.
And now, on with our first newsletter!
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/Roger
AI Skills
Google commits $5.8m for Africa AI skills
#Africa #skills - Google has committed $5.8 million in funding to accelerate AI skilling initiatives across Sub-Saharan Africa, empowering individuals and organisations to leverage AI for economic growth and social impact. The investment will support education and training initiatives. (Africa AI News)
Google's N2.8 billion grant to boost AI in Nigeria
#Nigeria #startups - Google has announced a N2.8 billion ($1.7m) grant to bolster AI talent development in Nigeria. Google's philanthropic arm Google.org will provide 10 Nigerian startups with N100 million in financing each. The funding is part of Google.org's recently announced %5.8 million investment in Google in Sub-Saharan Africa. (Premium Times)
$15 million in Google.org grants for MENA AI skills, research & startups
#MENA #grants - Google announced today the AI Opportunity Initiative for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), its largest AI initiative in the region, that will provide grants to support essential AI skills, research funding, access to helpful AI products and early stage startup funding via Google.org. (Zawya)
Digital Transformation
Ethiopia to use AI in digital census
#Ethiopia #census - Ethiopia is preparing to launch a fully digital Population and Housing Census, integrating AI and Big Data to enhance the precision and effectiveness of its statistical data. The plans align with the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020–2030). (TV Brics)
CoEs
Deloitte invests $30 million in Egypt’s tech ecosystem
#Egypt #innovation - Deloitte has inaugurated its Cairo Innovation Hub with a $30 million investment, aiming to create 5,000 jobs over three years. Egypt’s Minister of Communications and IT, Amr Talat, attended the inauguration. (Zawya)
Education
UM6P opens cybersecurity centre
#Morocco #cybersecurity - Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) has opened a dedicated cybersecurity branch at its College of Computing in Rabat. The new branch intends to become a centre of excellence in cybersecurity education and complements UM6P’s existing offerings in artificial intelligence and machine learning. (7news)
Huawei & UH2C launch digital skills centre in Casablanca
#Morocco #training - Huawei and Hassan II University of Casablanca have introduced Code 212, a digital skills center aimed at training Morocco’s future tech leaders. This hybrid platform offers training in high-demand fields such as AI, Cloud computing, big data, and IoT. (Morocco World News)
Egypt to make AI, coding core subjects for secondary schools
#Egypt #curricula - Egypt's Ministry of Education will make AI and coding core subjects for first-year secondary school students starting in the 2025-2026 academic year, according to the Minister of Education and Technical Education speaking at a symposium hosted by the National Press Authority. (Ahram Online)
Researcher builds AI learning platform for high-school students
#Egypt #education - Egyptian researcher Marco Mamdouh has built an AI model specifically designed to train Egyptian students for their national high school exams. The first of its kind in Egypt, the platform is aimed at enhancing the quality of education and student exam performance. (Egypt Independent)
AI Policy
Telecom Minister says AI needed more in marginalised communities
#RSA #skills - To truly leverage “every power” that lies within AI technologies in South Africa, there is a need to get the basics right, and empower marginalised communities, says Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi.. (Engineering News)
Morocco appoints new Minister of Digital Transition
#Morocco #policymaking - Following a government reshuffle, Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni has been appointed Morocco’s Minister of Digital Transition. Seghrouchni also leads the International Center of AI at University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P). (Morocco World News)
UN agency issues policy brief on AI in Africa
#Africa #policy - The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa has issued a Policy Brief "Artificial Intelligence in Africa: Economic Development Potential and Challenges to Overcome". The commission estimates that AI has the potential to contribute circa $1.5 trillion to African GDP by 2030. Download PDF (UNECA)
Culture
Twelve South African creatives reimagine history with AI
#RSA #culture - Twelve South African creatives are setting out to explore history through a new lens—one powered by AI. The French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), in partnership with French studio u2p050 and Cape Town’s Playtopia Festival, is launching Unrecorded Voices, a programme where artists will use AI to recreate and reimagine untold or forgotten narratives. (IOL)
AI is a disruptor to newsrooms
#Africa #journalism - Power for good and bad: journalists using AI without fully understanding the implications of the tool was a key issue at the 20th annual African Investigative Journalism Conference (AIJC). (Africa AI News)
[ This newsletter was human edited ]