Airtel to build $120M Lagos data centre; MENA IT spend to hit $169B

Weekly News Digest ...

Aug 08, 2025

Good morning, and welcome to this week’s issue of Africa AI News – Weekly News Digest.

Quite a lot going on - with mobile operators launching mysteriously vague “transformation programmes” (MTN) but also dumping hundreds of millions of (possibly marketing dollars, Orange and Airtel) into DC and tech development initiatives.

Also, even more AI education stories than last week, if that’s possible.

What is interesting is increasingly loud calls for policymakers to put some real effort into realising regulation and guidelines on use of AI in Africa, where a lot of initial sound and fury has turned into a laissez-faire approach where Big Business is pretty much running amok - with potentially serious long term consequences trying to get that genie back in the bottle.

On with this week’s issue!

/Roger

Datacentre

Airtel Nigeria invests in $120M Lagos data centre

#Nigeria #datacenter — Airtel Nigeria is investing $120 million to build a 38-megawatt hyperscale data centre in Eko Atlantic, Lagos, focused on artificial intelligence infrastructure. The facility, expected to be live in 2026, has received its first shipment of high-performance GPUs. Airtel’s approach prioritises AI compute capacity, differing from MTN Nigeria’s cloud-first strategy. (Daba Finance)

South Africa launches sovereign AI cloud platform

#SouthAfrica #datacentre — Touchnet and Zadara have launched a sovereign AI Cloud at Digital Parks Africa’s Tier III data centre in north of Johannesburg. The GPU-powered platform supports AI workloads with low latency and full data sovereignty, targeting sectors like finance and healthcare. Touchnet plans to expand access across Africa. (iAfrica)

Funding

Eight African AI startups raise over $1m in 2025

#Africa #applications #policy — This review of startups shows Africa’s AI market, worth $4.51 billion in 2025, and seeing strong funding growth, with eight startups securing over $1 million this year. Egypt leads with three, including Infinilink ($10m) and Qme ($3m). Notable raises include Senegal’s Kera Health ($10m) and SA’s Cerebium ($8.5m). (TechCabal)

Policy

Brics champions Africa-focused, UN-led global AI governance

#Africa #policy — BRICS leaders, including South Africa, Egypt, and Ethiopia, called for an inclusive AI governance framework centred on Africa and emerging markets. The bloc urged the United Nations to lead global AI standards, warning that fragmented efforts risk increasing inequalities and undermining trust. (Tech Africa News)

AI warning for businesses in South Africa

#SouthAfrica #policy #applications — A report by World Wide Worx and Dell Technologies highlights the risks of unregulated generative AI use by South African businesses. Usage rose from 45% in 2024 to 67% in 2025, but only 15% have official policies. Shadow AI use also increased, raising concerns over compliance and ethics. ChatGPT is the leading platform. (MyBroadband)

Kenyan firms fuel AI-driven outsourcing job boom

#Kenya #policy #outsourcing — Kenyan companies like Cloudfactory are expanding AI-powered outsourcing, boosting job prospects in the sector. With growth expected to triple the workforce, the trend positions Kenya as a digital outsourcing hub. Yet, concerns linger over labour conditions and long-term investment amid legal challenges involving Meta. (News Central Africa)

Egyptian Actor's Syndicate forms AI misuse committee

#Egypt #policy #arts — The Egyptian Actor's Syndicate has established a committee to monitor and address AI-generated misuse of actors’ images and voices. The group aims to protect reputations and prevent commercial exploitation amid rising concerns over AI content manipulation. (Cairo Scene)

Applications

AI reduces medical errors by 16% in Kenyan trial

#Kenya #applications #healthcare — A study by OpenAI and Penda Health found that AI Consult, deployed across 16 Nairobi clinics, helped reduce diagnostic errors by 16% and treatment errors by 13%. Designed for Kenya’s local health context, the AI tool supports clinicians by flagging deviations from best-practice protocols during patient visits. ( iAfrica )

WeBuyCars shifts to AI-driven vehicle trading in South Africa

#SouthAfrica #applications #policy — WeBuyCars, a leading South African vehicle trading platform, is transforming its operations by integrating two AI systems: Orange, a customer-facing large language model used on its website, and Blue, a machine learning suite managing pricing and vehicle data. These models, updated weekly, optimise pricing and decision-making across the platform. ( BusinessTech )

AI reduces data breach costs for South African firms

#SouthAfrica #applications #security — IBM’s 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report reveals South African organisations cut average breach costs by 17% to R44.1 million ($2.45 million), aided by AI, machine learning, and automation. Despite a rise in breached records, improved data security software and DevSecOps practices helped contain breaches faster. (Connecting Africa)

Kenyan activists use AI to amplify protest voices

#Kenya #applications #policy — Kenyan activists have leveraged AI tools like ChatGPT and other LLMs to translate complex legislative texts into accessible messages during 2024 protests against the notorious finance bill. Digital campaigns on WhatsApp, TikTok and X helped mobilise grassroots support and amplify voices despite efforts to drown out dissent. Analysis shows coordinated AI-driven content by pro-government channels activity shaped public debate. (Global Voices)

MTN deploys AI to boost Nigeria network

#Nigeria #applications #telecoms — MTN Group has begun using AI to optimise network traffic and improve service delivery in Nigeria under its “MTN Genova” transformation programme, with plans for a continent-wide rollout. MTN Genova has been launched with enormous fan-fair but little clarity as to what it actually means. (Nairametrics)

Education

Algeria uses AI to streamline university placements

#Algeria #education — Algeria’s Ministry of Higher Education has deployed AI-driven algorithms to manage university placements for 2025 baccalaureate graduates. Over 97% of 340,901 students secured spots on time, with 70% admitted to a top three choice. The approach aims to align education with labour market needs and reduce mid-cycle transfers. (APA News)

Egypt completes third AI training initiative with Dell

#Egypt #education — Egypt’s ICT Ministry and Dell Technologies wrapped up their third AI capacity-building programme, training 676 university students across eight institutions. Since launch, 1,620 students have been trained, delivering 300 AI projects. An AI hackathon focused on tourism solutions saw 63 students compete. (Daily News Egypt)

Zimbabwe to introduce AI learning in schools

#Zimbabwe #policy #education — Zimbabwe’s government plans to roll out AI education in schools, aiming to equip learners with digital skills from an early age. ICT Deputy Minister Dingumuzi Phuti says the move aligns education with global tech trends and shifts students from passive users to active technology creators. (Zimbabwe Mail)

Namibia launches Phase II of Africa Asia Youth Coding initiative

#Namibia #education #AI — Namibia has kicked off the second phase of the Africa Asia Youth Coding Initiative to bring coding and AI skills into the formal school curriculum. The programme, backed by UNESCO, CODEMAO, Chinese consumer goods brand OPPO, and the education ministry, builds on an earlier after-school project that reached 3,000 youth and 350 teachers. (Namibia Daily News)

Namibia in AI-assisted learning pilot to reach 2,500 students by 2026

#Namibia #education #AI — Namibia has launched the five-month YYeni AI Luderitz Pilot to test AI-assisted learning in schools, with Telecom Namibia providing connectivity. The Ministry of Education aims to expand the model to 25 schools and 2,500 learners by 2026. (Eastleigh Voice)

LLMs

Orange expands OpenAI deal to boost African languages

#Africa #applications — Orange is deepening its partnership with OpenAI to accelerate the integration of African languages into AI models. As part of the deal, the French operator will deploy OpenAI’s new gpt-oss-120b and gpt-oss-20b models, aiming to improve data security and deliver sovereign AI infrastructure. The move targets the persistent underrepresentation of Africa’s 2,000+ languages in LLMs. (Connecting Africa)

Events

Singularity South Africa Summit 2025 to focus on leadership and AI

#Africa #events — The Singularity South Africa Summit 2025 will be held at Sandton Convention Centre on 22–23 October, spotlighting leadership and AI’s role in shaping Africa’s future. Supported by Old Mutual and UBU, the event gathers over 26 global and local experts to explore innovation, ethics, and inclusive growth. More speakers will be announced. (Singularity SA)

Reports

AI demands disrupt MENA IT spending

#MENA #datacentres — Gartner forecasts MENA IT spending will reach $169 billion in 2026, elevated by data centre growth surging due to AI demand. Spending on data centre systems is now expected to rise 69% in 2025 and 37% in 2026 to reach $13 billion. Software expenditure will rise 13.9% amid accelerating generative AI adoption. (Middle East AI News)

AI warning for businesses in South Africa

AI reduces data breach costs for South African firms

#SouthAfrica #security — IBM’s 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report reveals South African organisations cut average breach costs by 17% to R44.1 million ($2.45 million), aided by AI, machine learning, and automation. Despite a rise in breached records, improved data security software and DevSecOps practices helped contain breaches faster. (Connecting Africa)

AI in Africa projected to hit $16.5B by 2030

#Africa #policy #applications — Mastercard’s pan-African study calls for responsible AI adoption, and projects AI market growth from $4.5 billion in 2025 to $16.5 billion by 2030, and urges multi-stakeholder collaboration to maximise Africa’s mobile-first and entrepreneurial advantages. The report examines the SA, Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria. Full report. (BusinessWire)

[ This newsletter was human flabbered and AI ghasted ]