Africa has shown progress in artificial intelligence, but dependence on foreign countries in this technology remains a notable concern.
To address this challenge and build a local AI infrastructure for the market, four technology leaders have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to coordinate a joint effort.
The companies participating in this agreement include Australia-based Lakeba Group, Nigeria-based Next Digital, UAE-based AqlanX, and Netherlands-based Agentic Dynamic.
The main goal of the agreement is to establish a joint venture called AfricAI.
They have chosen Nigeria as the initial market for this initiative, aiming to deliver effective AI applications in healthcare, digital identity, document automation, public administration, and corporate services by leveraging the country’s national data centers and edge infrastructure.
STRENGTHENING AI INFRASTRUCTURE WITH AFRICAI
The primary aim of this project is to build an AI foundation that reflects the African reality.
Through the AfricAI network, AI infrastructure will be strengthened in sectors such as agriculture, urban planning, public services, and education.
This initiative, which will start in Nigeria, is planned to expand to Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Rwanda by 2026. The project also aims to train more than 100 AI professionals.
Additionally, through pilot programs in key sectors such as government services, fintech, healthcare, infrastructure, and smart city solutions, the initiative will accelerate public-private sector collaborations and expand to neighboring African countries with interoperable platforms supporting multilingual models, agent-based workflows, and federated AI networks.