Google has announced a significant investment of $5.8 million to boost Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills in Sub-Saharan Africa. This investment is meant to help people and organisations gain important AI knowledge, making AI better understood across the region.
The money will fund several projects, such as training workers in AI, teaching teenagers about AI safety and ethics, giving non-profit leaders basic AI skills, and supporting AI development in the public sector.
Google’s research centres in Accra, Ghana, and Nairobi, Kenya, are working on innovative AI solutions for African issues. Notable projects include Open Buildings, which uses AI to map buildings across Africa, and the Product Development Center in Nairobi, focused on creating products for the African market.
In Nigeria, Google works together with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy to improve the development of AI talent. This cooperation helps the government’s plan to train 3 million technical experts, teaches AI to teenagers through educational programs, and supports Nigerian AI startups with a fund that doesn’t require giving up any ownership.
Google’s efforts are part of its $1 billion promise in 2021 to boost Africa’s digital economy. The Equiano fibre-optic cable, which connects western Africa to Europe, improves internet access, making it easier for more digital growth to happen.
