Google Invests $37 Million to Boost AI Development in Africa

Google announced a $37 million program on Thursday, July 24th, aimed at accelerating the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa. The investments will range from local research to projects focused on monitoring agricultural crops and adapting technologies to African languages.

“Africa is now home to some of the most important and inspiring work in the field of AI,” said James Manyika, Google’s vice president, during the launch of an “AI community center” in Accra, the capital of Ghana. This center will serve as a hub for training, collaboration, and experimentation.

Among the flagship initiatives unveiled is the AI Collaborative for Food Security, a network bringing together researchers and non-profit organizations to design tools capable of improving early famine detection, crop resilience, and decision-making for smallholder farmers. The objective is to help African food systems better withstand climatic and economic shocks.

The American group is also preparing to launch a funding platform to support AI-focused start-ups in the agriculture, health, and education sectors. Through its philanthropic arm, the group is promising $7 million to expand AI education initiatives in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Ghana. In parallel, Google announced $3 million in funding to the Masakhane collective, which develops AI tools for more than 40 African languages.

Two research grants of $1 million each will be awarded to the African Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and the Wits Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery Institute, both based in South Africa. Google has already conducted initiatives on the continent, notably in technologies for maternal health in Ghana and Nigeria, forest fire alerts in East Africa, and the development of language models in Accra and Nairobi.

Based on information from AFP.

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