Skip to content

Digital Salon

Global Perspectives on: AI

How to Leverage Homegrown AI Solutions for Economic Growth in Africa

Global Perspectives on: AI

March 13, 2024

online / Zoom

Africa is experiencing an AI boom, with 2,400+ organizations transforming sectors like healthcare and agriculture. But challenges persist. External tech players could take advantage of local data, sidelining Africa’s AI ambitions. We will explore the transformative potential of digital sovereignty for the African continent, engaging in dialogue with AI experts.

Key Takeaways

  • AI Policies

    The African AI ecosystem presents many opportunities but requires proper infrastructure, policies, and data access. Bridging gaps in accessibility, connectivity, and affordability is crucial. Addressing data scarcity is also vital, as most current solutions rely on data from outside Africa. Only 11% of Large Language Models reflect African linguistics. To foster innovation securely, local governments must enact adequate AI policies, reducing risk for private sector investment in African AI projects.

  • Home Grown Solutions

    Meeting local needs requires local data sets. Africa aims to gain data sovereignty and develop homegrown AI solutions. Unified pan-African AI policies provide investment planning security, highlight the continent's potential, and facilitate investments. Africa can learn from existing approaches while setting new standards like green, ethical, and human-centered AI focused on solving societal challenges in education, finance, agriculture, and climate change rather than just commercial interests.

  • Unique Opportunities

    Africa's open canvas for AI aligns with its unique opportunities in human capital and scale. Within 5 years, Africa will have the world's largest workforce. The influential African diaspora may bring expertise back to the continent. Thus, investing in talent is crucial to prepare for the AI shift. Building a strong talent pool in data science, machine learning, and AI development is needed. To enable this critical mass, infrastructure must be affordable, accessible, and tailored to develop African solutions for global issues.

Contact Persons

Rhoda Berger, r.berger@globalperspectives.org

Digital Salon

The digital dialogue series "Global Perspectives on" is featuring European and African decision-makers in discussion about the relevant topics and developments for both continents.

Program Archive

Salon
The Future of Global Cooperation: Redefining Germany’s Role
Hamburg Sustainability Conference 2025

How can Germany build strong, sustainable relationships with countries in the Global South that benefit both sides? At HSC 2025, we continued the dialogue on the Commission's recommendations.

Conference
The Africa Roundtable N°8
Green Finance in a New Geopolitical Reality

At the eighth edition of The Africa Roundtable, we discussed how to rethink and strengthen sustainable finance in Africa through strategic partnerships with Europe.

Publications
Recommendations for the Realignment of Germany's Relations with the Countries of the Global South
Final Report of the Commission "A Changing World - Germany and the Global South"

The Commission “A Changing World – Germany and the Global South” presents its recommendations as a basis for addressing key strategic decisions facing Germany today.

Salon
A Changing World – Germany and The Global South
Publication of the Commission's Final Report

How can Germany's international cooperation become more sustainable? After a year of intensive work, the Commission presented its final report recommendations for discussion.

Circle
Spotlight on DPI
How to advance Digital Public Infrastructure to boost Africa’s economies

DPI can help bring large populations online, driving economic growth. We highlighted the range of benefits of this new concept at our follow-up to the seventh edition of The Africa Roundtable.

Publications
Impulses for the Realignment of Germany's Relations with the Countries of the Global South
Commission "A Changing World – Germany and the Global South"

The Commission "A Changing World - Germany and the Global South", chaired by Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, presents its first actions recommendations ahead of the German federal elections in 2025.

Publications
The Africa Roundtable N°7
Action Recommendations

With data emerging as the key driver of future economic power, Africa's digital transformation is critical and urgent. The action recommendations of the seventh conference.

Conference
The Africa Roundtable N°7
Foundations for Africa’s Future: Digital Infrastructure, Digital Public Infrastructure and Data Sovereignty for Economic Growth

The seventh edition of the Africa Roundtable focused on the importance of digital infrastructure and data sovereignty for the digital revolution on the African continent.

Salon
Africa’s Critical Minerals
Sustainable Partnerships for Industrial Growth

Our discussion at Raw Materials Congress focused on fostering smart and sustainable European-African partnerships in raw materials to meet demand, boost African growth, and support energy transitions.

Newsletter Sign-up

Sign up to the Global Perspectives Initiative's newsletter and stay up to date on our program. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Global Perspectives Initiative
Dorotheenstraße 3
10117 Berlin

office@globalperspectives.org
+49 (0) 30 55 57 80 530

Global Perspectives Initiative is a non-profit and independent dialogue platform based in Berlin, Germany. Global Perspectives works towards enhanced engagement and responsibility for sustainable development by German and European decision-makers and aims to strengthen African perspectives in policy making. To this end, Global Perspectives regularly brings together decision-makers from business, academia, politics, media, and civil society to discuss new approaches, provide new impulses and raise awareness on the common opportunities and challenges the two neighboring continents are facing.

©2025 Global Perspectives Initiative gemeinnützige UG (haftungsbeschränkt)