Google Announces $37M Investment To Expand AI Research In Africa
Google will invest $37 million across Africa to expand artificial intelligence developments on the continent. A majority of the funds will be allocated to enhance food security and expand digital access in local languages, with $25 million being invested in an AI Collaborative for Food Security.
This initiative will help African researchers and nonprofits create AI tools that tackle hunger, climate-related crop threats, and farming inefficiencies, according to TechPoint Africa.
The program aims to safeguard millions of smallholder farmers against damaging economic and environmental shocks by leveraging AI in early warning systems and tailoring agricultural guidance.
Making AI accessible in more local languages
Google.org has awarded $3 million to the Masakhane Research Foundation, a pan-African collective working on natural language processing tools for over 40 African languages.
The money will expand the development of datasets, translation systems, and speech recognition tools – technologies that are usually missing for several African languages but are crucial for inclusive access to digital services.
“Africa is home to some of the most important and inspiring work in AI today. We are committed to supporting innovation that is built for and by Africans,” James Manyika, Google’s Senior Vice President for Research and Technology & Society, said.
Expanding AI skills in Africa
A crucial aspect of the announcement is the launch of a first-of-its-kind in Africa: a dedicated ‘AI Community Centre’ in Accra.
It aims to serve as a hub for AI experimentation, training, and cultural engagement. The center will serve developers, students, and creators with a curriculum spanning literacy, tech, social impact, and the arts.
Google will also expanding access to digital skills, offering 100,000 fully-funded career certificate scholarships across Ghana.
This comes after Google.org announced that it awarded $2 million in funding to South African tech academy WeThinkCode_ to expand its AI training programs. The programs will provide 12,000 learners in South Africa and Kenya with the necessary tools to succeed in the job market.
“By providing funding to WeThinkCode_, we are helping to create opportunities for African youth to develop AI skills that will make them more competitive in the job market and drive inclusive innovation across the continent,” Haviva Kohl, Senior Program Manager at Google.org, said.
Image: Frederic Neema/LAIF-REA POUR
