Google has announced a $37 million investment package aimed at accelerating the development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies across Africa, with a focus on addressing regional challenges in agriculture, health, education, and language diversity.
Unveiled on Thursday in Accra, Ghana, the initiative includes the launch of a new AI community center designed to foster innovation and collaboration on the continent. James Manyika, Google’s Senior Vice President, described Africa as home to “some of the most important and inspiring work in AI today.”
The initiative features the AI Collaborative for Food Security, which will link researchers and non-profits to develop tools that enhance early hunger detection, crop resilience, and support decision-making among smallholder farmers. These efforts come as African food systems face mounting threats from climate change and economic volatility.
In Nigeria and other parts of Africa, AI is already being deployed by agri-tech startups for soil and livestock monitoring, showcasing the continent’s growing engagement with smart farming technologies.
Beyond agriculture, Google plans to roll out a financing platform for AI startups in health and education. Its philanthropic division has also committed $7 million to expand AI education in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Ghana.
In addition, the company will provide $3 million in support to Masakhane, a grassroots tech initiative working on AI tools for more than 40 African languages. Two South African institutions— the African Institute of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and the Wits Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery Institute— will each receive $1 million research grants.
Ghana’s Minister of Communications and Digital Technology, Sam George, called on citizens to embrace AI in solving pressing national issues such as traffic congestion, waste management, and flooding.
Google’s announcement builds on previous initiatives, including maternal health technologies in Nigeria and Ghana, wildfire alerts in East Africa, and AI-powered language model development in Accra and Nairobi.
