Huawei and the African Telecommunications Union organized a Ministerial Forum to discuss the continent’s readiness for artificial intelligence (AI) and the infrastructure required to scale it.
Speaking at the opening session, Hover Gao, Huawei’s President for Sub-Saharan Africa, highlighted that the continent is at a critical juncture in its AI transformation. Gao noted that progress in Africa has been slowed by insufficient AI computing power, a lack of accessible, high-quality data, and a shortage of skilled talent to develop advanced systems.
Gao emphasized that Huawei is committed to working closely with African governments to address these gaps. One of the company’s top priorities is the development of local AI models that incorporate African languages, cultural knowledge, regulatory frameworks, and sector-specific data.
He explained that building these models would support AI sovereignty by reducing dependence on foreign systems and minimizing structural bias embedded in global datasets. Gao also noted that governments and industries would not need to train foundational models from scratch.
According to Gao, if regional collaboration is strengthened, Africa could become a significant player in the AI era.