Zambia launches AI strategy; new Wits Uni tech R&D centre
Africa AI News weekly digest...
Good morning
And welcome to the third issue of Africa AI News – Weekly News Digest.
We're seeing steady subscriber growth, and would encourage you to pass on to anyone you know in the space. More readers equals more interesting stories. As usual, if you have something you'd like to share or news about your AI business you'd like the world to hear about, reply to this mail.
Yesterday, Zambia launched its national AI strategy. The Ministry of Technology and Science has been talking about it a lot this year, but it has now been unveiled at an event in Lusaka led by the minister Hon. Felix Mutati!
This week's issue is also quite big on applications, especially small but useful ones. There is also a non-stop stream of educational initiatives being launched - but without the compute resources to really get stuck in, African AI tech developers face relegation to the global sidelines. A more in-depth look at this issue mentioned in last weeks' news digest is here.
On with this week’s issue!
/Roger
AI Strategy
Zambia launches national AI Strategy
#Zambia #nationalstrategy - Zambia’s Ministry of Technology and Science officially launched its Artificial Intelligence Strategy in the country’s capital Lusaka on Thursday. The AI Strategy will provide stakeholders with a detailed and practical roadmap plan that will help accelerate digital transformation, create wealth, enhance public services and introduce new jobs. (Africa AI News)
SA's National AI Policy Framework open for comments at last
#SouthAfrica #policy - South Africa’s Department of Communications and Digital Technologies says its National AI Policy Framework is open for comments, unfortunately due by 29 November, after being gazetted to little notice, and comments opened only end October. (Research Professionals News)
Digital Transformation
ADIB Egypt to invest $20.2m to drive digital transformation
#Egypt #UAE #digitaltransformation - Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank – Egypt (ADIB Egypt) plans to invest approximately EGP 1 billion ($20.2 million) in the digital sector during the upcoming period, according to a stock exchange filing for it's third quarter results. (Zawya)
Market
Egypt ranks in MENA’s top three for start-up growth
#Egypt #startups - Egypt ranks among MENA’s top three for start-up entrepreneurship, according to the Minister of CIT. ICT contributed 5.8% of Egypt’s GDP last year, with start-ups playing a key role. (Ahram Online)
A $1.7-m market in South Africa alone: AI in cancer diagnostics
#SouthAfrica #medical - Teaser for a paid-for report -- interesting prognosis for AI as a cancer diagnostic tool, where in MENA Saudi Arabia is expected to lead. (Grand View Research)
R&D
Wits University launches MIND Institute research hub
#SouthAfrica #R&D #education - In a blaze of promotions, Witwatersrand University announced the Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery Institute. Oh yay, YAAII you say (yet another AI institute). This one will focus on fundamental research into computer based intelligence, not knocking out genAI-based applications. (Gadget)
New AI & robotics institute planned
#Nigeria #R&D - Nigeria will soon have an AI and robotics institute, according to Bart Nnaji, founder and chairman of the Geometric Power Group, and a former Nigerian minister of science and technology. He said the government has taken 4 years to approve the application for the new institute. (Business AM)
Legal AI won't grow if only 0.02% of African content is in local language
#Africa #legal - Global growth of AI in the legal profession is expected to boom, augmenting everything from legal research to contract analysis, litigation prediction, and compliance monitoring. It needs local knowledge of laws and regulations, and local language training data. (Polity.org)
Funding
Data analytics hub JADA raises $1-million
#Nigeria #funding #skills - Lagos-based data analytics talent hub, JADA, has raised US$1-million for training and skills development. (DABA)
AI Skilling Initiative launched by Microsoft Kenya
#Kenya #funding #skills - AI Skilling Initiative was launched by Microsoft Kenya to “train one million people in AI and cyber security”; not a lot of hard detail. (ITWeb)
Education
Imperial University creates Imperial Global Ghana science/tech hub
#Ghana #education - Leading off with fact that the hub will support fellowships in applications of AI, bringing the Imperial-Schmidt AI Fellows Programme to West Africa. Imperial College London will build on established partnerships in medical diagnostics, sustainable cities and entrepreneurship training. (ICL)
AI Policy
India, Brazil, S. African governments agree to agree on AI
#SouthAfrica #G20 - While not clear how this will play out, the governments of these three countries declared that they would priorities Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and AI to reduce inequality. (DD News)
Applications
We need ‘Trustworthy AI’
#SouthAfrica #legal - Well worth a read, by head of South Africa's ITLawCo, looking at pressing issues to consider in using AI in legal context. (CIO Magazine)
AI being used to identify unregistered solar panels
#SouthAfrica #solar #regulation - Tech firms demonstrated how they can use AI image recognition tools to identify rooftop solar panels, and map them to a list of registered installations. Half were (theoretically) illegal. (ESI Africa)
AI-powered credit scoring platform released in Tanzania
#Tanzania #fintech - Manka, an online credit scoring platform, has been launched by fintech firm Tausi Africa, for quicker, better near-real-time loan approvals. (The Citizen Tanzania)
Chatbot makes cricket-mad fans even more mad
#SouthAfrica #chatbot - November saw the T20 cricket championship match at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, and also saw humanoid chatbots roamed the stands predicting scores, spotting no balls and fielding cricket trivia quizzes. (Media Brief)
GenAI assistant for Swahili applications
#Tanzania #assistant - Sartify, a Tanzanian AI dev firm, has launched a beta version of “Pawa”, its Swahili-speaking AI assistant. (The Citizen)
Chatbot for Nigerian career guidance
#Nigeria #chatbot - Young people in Nigeria can use Bella.AI to guide them on what career to pursue. Created by Heals and Tech, a startup aimed at embowering women. (Tribune Nigeria)
Data Centres
Africa Data Centres in SA increases capacity to meet demand
#SouthAfrica #datacentres - Another 20MW is added to Africa Data Centres' three facilities, two in Jo'burg, one Cape Town, to cater to soaring demand for AI compute. A fourth data centre is in construction in Cape Town. (ITWeb)
Culture
AI threat or boon for African music?
#Africa #music #GenAI - Mya Blue is a singer-songwriter AI created by Nigerian musician Eclipse Nkasi. He's loving it. Kenyan musician Tabu Osusa is not so keen - he feels Western tech firms are appropriating African music on an industrial scale. (BBC)
UNESCO to explore AI’s role in advancing Arabic
#Global #Arabic - UNESCO will host a major event in Paris on World Arabic Language Day to explore AI’s potential for protecting and advancing the language. (Muscat Daily)
[This newsletter was human edited and AI entranced]