To equip  Africans with advanced artificial intelligence (AI) skills, The African Development Bank (AfDB) and technology giant Intel have joined forces to deliver the skills to three million Africans and 30,000 government officials.

This move by the AfDB looks to equip many Africans with advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, data science, and robotics. These technological skills are crucial for enhancing economic growth and productivity across Africa. “The collaboration aims to revolutionize the African digital ecosystem,” read a statement on the AfDB’s website.

The partnership aims to train Africans in Artificial intelligence. These skills will enable the African continent to contribute to its ongoing innovation. This will allow Africa to participate in technological developments.

In addition, the training program is projected to positively impact various sectors like health, agriculture, and education. Solving socio-economic issues and upgrading productivity may bring about sustainable developments in Africa. There will be improvement in the overall quality of life across the African continent. 

The Stakeholder’s View on AI

Speaking on the partnership, Ousmane Fall, African Development Bank’s Acting Director of Industrial and Trade Development, stressed the importance of digital skills for Africa’s youth.

“With advancements in digital technology, our world is rapidly evolving, and so is our youthful population, projected to reach 830 million by 2050. To develop skills on a large scale and at the necessary speed, we need everyone’s cooperation.”

“The Bank is thrilled to collaborate with Intel to work towards this shared commitment. Together, we are shaping the digital future of Africa and empowering our youth,” he said.

Bienvenu Agbokponto Soglo, Intel’s Director of Government Affairs Africa and IGA CTO Liaison, said, “Intel looks forward to furthering its collaboration with African governments to make advanced technologies such as AI accessible to all, breaking down barriers related to geography, gender, and ethnicity, and enabling widespread participation in the digital economy.”

The partnership also aimed to support African countries, continental organizations, and economic communities. The support will help develop coordinated policy and regulatory frameworks in AI, 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, data, and cloud.

More insight into Africa’s AI 

However, African countries are trying to catch up in AI; Nigeria recently made vast technological progress. Nigeria launched its first multilingual large language model. It aims to lead in Artificial intelligence developments across the African continent. Similarly, like many other African countries, Nigeria faces a substantial talent gap in building AI technology that competes at the highest levels, like OpenAI, Google, and Meta.

Furthermore, the cost of training AI models presents significant challenges for individuals and organizations outside the tech industry. This hinders their ability to participate in the AI revolution. The OpenAI company CEO, Sam Altman, said the high training cost for GPT-4 and sought to raise $ 7 trillion for a project.

Also read: Bitcoin ETFs Absorb Two Months of BTC Supply in a Single Week