Artificial intelligence, a driving force for change in Africa

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant dream in Africa, it has already become a key tool for transforming the continent, sector by sector... 

In the latest edition of the AFD publication L’Économie africaine, Professor Paulin Melatagia Yonta, lecturer at the University of Yaoundé 1, describes how AI is already a strategic tool for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is being used for “predicting epidemics and floods, providing automated diagnoses via medical imaging, detecting diseases from images of plants or skin, automating learner assessments, and more. These AI use cases are already providing solutions to compensate for the lack of human resources in fields like health, agriculture and education in Africa. At the same time, they are helping to improve yields and boost productivity,” he explains.  

Digital sovereignty on the line

In Africa, AI is about more than a technological breakthrough, it also raises issues around sovereignty. “Whoever controls the data will control the future,” believes Professor Yonta. According to him, as long as international technology corporations hold a monopoly over African data, the continent will never be independent. For this reason, gaining control over local data must be a top priority.

See also: Artificial intelligence, Data... How can we promote equitable technological development?

This aim is illustrated in Senegal’s national artificial intelligence program, which champions local languages. “Efforts to (re)attach greater value to African languages are ongoing in several countries. AI can provide the technical and technological means to incorporate these languages into the daily lives of African citizens at a faster pace. This will lead to greater representation of African culture in new digital technology and help it move away from non-African ideological and cultural hegemony,” says Professor Yonta.

View our interactive map “Artificial intelligence, a driving force for change in Africa”

Integrating local languages into AI models is not just about identity, it’s also a strategic issue. Large Language Models (LLMs) are trained on linguistic data. Excluding African languages from this data can lead to biases that make these models unsuited to dealing with local issues. Professor Yonta believes that “incorporating these languages would not only help us better meet the needs of populations, but also ensure equitable representation of African cultures in the digital ecosystem.” He sees this approach as essential for AI to become an inclusive and sovereign tool on the continent.

Drawing on local talent

Engineers in Africa also have an important role to play in shaping the future of AI. “The development of AI on the African continent depends on engineers’ ability to design applications that not only solve social problems in Africa itself, but that also pave the way for new forms of artificial intelligence,” says Professor Yonta. However, with issues like talent drain and a lack of specialist training, this presents a major challenge. There is an urgent need to train skilled engineers with experience of life on the ground in Africa.

See also: Artificial Intelligence: threat or opportunity?

Lastly, the AI sector cannot be developed without reliable infrastructure. “In addition to data, creating large-scale AI models requires vast computing power, major storage capacity and high-performance interconnection networks. There are currently very few African countries with infrastructure of sufficient quality to compete with other regions of the world,” explains Professor Yonta. This situation calls for an alternative approach: Frugal AI. This method relies on networks of small, interconnected machines, which cuts costs while also limiting the environmental impact. This innovative approach is well suited to the continent’s current constraints.

Leveraging AI to drive transformation

Artificial intelligence is a ambitious gamble for Africa. Despite the structural challenges, it presents unprecedented opportunities, and has the potential to drive sustainable transformation. But this will require gaining data management expertise, investing in talent and building suitable infrastructure. “With a vision aligned with the realities on the ground, Africa can use AI as a tool for emancipation, while establishing its place in the global digital revolution,” concludes Paulin Melatagia Yonta optimistically.