A side event at the African Development Bank Group’s 2025 Annual Meetings explored how AI could support inclusive and sustainable development across Africa.

The 90-minute session, held under the theme “The AI Revolution: How Will AI Support the Delivery of the African Development Bank’s 2024–2033 Ten-Year Strategy and the Transformation of African Economies?”, was co-hosted with Google AI Research and brought together participants from government, private sector, and research institutions.

The discussion centered on what it would take for Africa to become AI-ready.

In his opening remarks, Solomon Quaynor, Vice-President for Private Sector, Infrastructure & Industrialization at the African Development Bank, noted that digital transformation is central to the continent’s future.

“AI is not a luxury, it’s a necessity for Africa’s competitiveness, resilience, and long-term prosperity,”

he said.

Abdoulaye Diack, Program Manager at Google AI Research Africa, emphasized AI’s potential to address challenges in agriculture, education, climate adaptation, and healthcare.

He also cautioned against the risks of excluding African contexts in AI design, stating,

“Without local data and inclusive models, Africa risks becoming a passive consumer rather than an active creator of AI solutions.”

Throughout the session, speakers consistently pointed to three areas requiring urgent attention: strengthening human capital through AI education and professional development, expanding digital infrastructure for data storage and exchange, and ensuring that AI systems are trained on localized data reflecting African languages, cultures, and societal needs.

Currently, Africa accounts for only 1.3% of global data storage capacity and faces persistent gaps in digital readiness.

Participants agreed that timely investment is critical to avoid widening these gaps.

Featured image credit: African Development Bank