Nairobi. African leaders have been urged to reposition artificial intelligence (AI) as a core investment and development agenda, with calls for the continent to move from being a passive consumer of technology to an active hub for innovation, infrastructure and talent.
Speaking during the opening of the GITEX Kenya and AI Everything summit in Nairobi, Special Envoy for Technology in the Office of the President, Philip Thigo, said Africa has the resources to play a central role in shaping the future of AI.
“Africa’s role in AI must be articulated as an investment agenda. AI is not about ICT; AI is literally AI everything,” he said.
Thigo noted that although Africa still faces gaps in computing infrastructure, connectivity and energy, it has key advantages including critical minerals, data, a young workforce, emerging digital systems and growing innovation ecosystems.
He warned that the continent must avoid repeating earlier technological transitions where it adopted innovations late and remained dependent on external systems.
“AI, as it comes to the African continent, must not be adopted as previous technological evolutions where we came in last,” he said.
He added that AI presents opportunities in agriculture, health, food security, climate resilience, the creative economy and public service delivery.
Thigo also highlighted Kenya’s role as a regional tech hub, citing its fintech sector and regulatory environment.
He said Kenya has attracted about $944 million in startup investment and was ranked by the International Telecommunication Union as having Africa’s strongest regulatory framework for digital innovation.
He further pointed to new investment commitments from the France-Africa Summit, including €6 million for broadband expansion, €30 million for startups, 50 digital centres, six regional AI clusters and modular AI data centre partnerships.
“If you are an investor, then what are you missing? Africa is open for business and open for investment,” he said.
GITEX CEO Trixie LohMirmand said Africa’s youth, creativity and scale position it strongly in the global AI economy, noting Morocco’s $1.2 billion sovereign AI initiative as evidence of growing ambition.
The summit brought together policymakers, investors and tech firms to discuss Africa’s AI readiness.
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