An Exponential Threat: Is AI Leaving Africa Behind?

The speed of AI development is leaving countries with limited digital infrastructure behind, and the gap is widening at an unprecedented rate.

In Africa, there is a need for massive digital infrastructure investment that prioritizes bridging the digital divide, particularly where the gap is widening exponentially. As David Martinon, French Ambassador to South Africa and former French Ambassador for Digital Affairs, said at the recent Finance in Common Summit (FiCS) hosted in Cape Town: “AI may seem virtual for the end user, but it needs a skeleton. It requires heavy investment in infrastructure and increased connectivity to democratize access.”

Yet, Africa is lagging when it comes to digital infrastructure. Many countries lack the cloud, connectivity, high-speed networks and data centers required to handle the demands of the technology. Hun Kim, Acting Vice President of Investment Solutions at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), said: “African countries lack the backbone of cloud and connectivity, among other core infrastructure necessities, and without these, AI will remain a distant concept rather than an accessible tool. Already there’s a digital divide and AI is doubling, even tripling this, as countries without digital infrastructure risk falling even further behind.”

The gap is further wedged open due to limited access to funds. Infrastructure funding is challenging to source, and prone to bottlenecks that introduce lengthy delays. The result is that Africa is slipping down the AI hill because countries can’t get a grip on the infrastructure, they need to embrace the technology effectively. There is work being done to rectify the challenge, but it remains slow. The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) committed 288 million Euros between 2021-2023 for broadband construction and datacenters across Africa, but this is just a drop in the ocean.

AI drives a growing demand for materials and energy that’s a challenge in markets where access to energy is fragile or insufficient. Ygor Scarcia, Industrial Development Expert at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), also emphasized the risk of growing inequalities: “The challenge is risking the divide between industrialized and non-industrialized economies.”

Africa is already making strides in AI with initiatives like the African Union’s digital transformation strategy, various tech hubs across the continent, and notable AI research projects.

Finance institutions, governments and private sector need to collaborate to find smarter ways of building Africa’s digital infrastructure and prioritizing critical environmental and governance requirements to ensure the continent doesn’t sit at the bottom of the slope. The continent has the talent and the potential, now it needs the investment impetus to take hold of AI and take the lead.