American tech company Google recently announced a $5.8 million investment to facilitate AI growth in Africa. The company confirmed on Monday that the initiative would extend across sub-Saharan Africa to “empower individuals and organizations to leverage AI for economic growth and social impact.”
This commitment further solidifies Google’s larger ambition of accelerating Africa’s digital transformation. In 2023, Google announced a $1 billion project over 5 years in Africa. The goal of this investment was to support a range of initiatives, from improved connectivity to investment in startups, to help boost Africa’s digital transformation.
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Google believes that Africa has a massive potential for developing AI. The company’s report on the “Digital Opportunity of Africa” estimated that AI could contribute up to $30 billion to the Sub-saharan economy by 2030. With this in mind, the company is aiming to equip people with the skills and resources they need to build and use AI responsibly and effectively.
“We’ve seen how AI can help social impact organizations accelerate and scale their work. The funding announced today will help organizations create AI tools that will benefit not only communities across Africa but across the globe.”, said Jen Carter Google.org Head of Tech and Volunteering.