If Africa can deliver on the promise of its youth population and develop the digital skills and innovations needed globally, the next 30 years promise to be a new golden era for the continent.
By developing a thriving digital economy that provides opportunities for Africans to stay in their communities while benefiting from much-needed jobs and revenues, the continent could become a net exporter of mutually beneficial AI-driven solutions.
These were the words of the Country Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, Abideen Yusuf, while speaking with journalists in Lagos.
According to him, the challenges that Africans face — financial inclusion, access to quality education, access to healthcare, AI-enabled agritech, and growing the formal and informal economies — are relevant to countries worldwide.
He said the solutions that Africans develop can be applied globally to solve these societal and economic challenges.
“Of course, technology without skills is a hollow promise. Support from private sector partnerships such as the AI National Skilling Initiative (AINSI) will help to build a generation of AI-skilled digital natives,” he said.
He said partnerships such as the one between the Microsoft Founders Hub and the NVIDIA Inception Programme will help startups develop innovative African AI solutions.
He noted that the African financial services industry (FSI) is making positive strides, with local and pan-African fintech startups such as Wall-X and CoTrust Equity adopting AI tools to offer new and personalised services for consumers and small businesses alike.
He said companies like Terragon and Trucki are helping drive African-led innovation in fields as diverse as marketing and haulage management, while others like ICE Commercial Power are helping small businesses and underserved communities to connect to reliable and affordable clean energy.
He mentioned that in Nigeria, we are already seeing the green shoots of AI opportunity. By fostering tech start-ups through initiatives such as Microsoft’s Founders Hub, working with organisations to take advantage of AI tools, and leveraging AI to address local challenges in sectors such as finance, healthcare, agriculture and infrastructure, Africa can create sustainable economic growth that provides opportunities for people to thrive without seeking greener pastures elsewhere in the world.
He said by harnessing local skills, ideas, innovation and know-how, African entrepreneurs and companies can stoke the fires of a global AI economy.
He said African entrepreneurs have developed life-changing services using mobile technology, with pioneers like M-PESA revolutionising the way people conduct transactions, allowing those without access to traditional banking to save, transfer money, and pay for goods and services.
He noted that it is hardly surprising that even today, mobile connectivity is a key driver of digital transformation and socio-economic growth in Africa.
