Libya launches national AI strategy; MEA CIOs forecast fastest AI agent growth!
Weekly News Digest...
Good morning!
Welcome to this week’s Africa AI News email digest!
A busy week for AI across Africa. In this edition, Libya launches its National AI Strategy and AI Ethics Charter with 35 initiatives through 2030; Rwanda creates a dedicated National AI Agency; Nigeria’s central bank introduces an AI-driven real-time fraud detection system; and South Africa and India deepen cooperation on AI, digital transformation and innovation.
We also cover new research on AI media coverage in Kenya and South Africa; and IBM’s 2026 Tech Leader Study, which surveyed 2,000 CIOs and CTOs across 33 geographies, including the Middle East and Africa.
Scroll down for more news.
Thanks for reading!
/Carrington
Agentic AI
MEA CIOs forecast world’s fastest AI agent growth
#MiddleEast #agenticAI - IBM’s 2026 Tech Leader Study finds top CIOs and CTOs in the Middle East and Africa expect AI agent numbers to grow by up to 87 per cent between 2026 and 2027, the highest rate globally. Yet only 11 per cent of technology leaders worldwide feel fully prepared, while 77 per cent say AI adoption is outpacing governance capabilities. (Middle East AI News)
Policy
Libya launches national AI strategy
#Libya #AIstrategy – Libya has launched its National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2026–2030, outlining 35 initiatives across six pillars, and adopted an AI Ethics Charter. Targets under the strategy include enabling 80% of government entities to use AI, training 10,000 public employees, supporting 100 AI startups, automating 50% of government transactions and digitising 70% of paper records by 2030. (Africa AI News)
Rwanda creates dedicated National AI Agency
#Rwanda #AIstrategy – Rwanda has approved the establishment of a National Artificial Intelligence Agency, becoming the first African country with a standalone institution dedicated solely to AI. The agency will oversee AI governance, research, ethics, skills development and industry growth, building on the country’s pioneering 2023 National AI Policy. (Africa AI News)
Côte d’Ivoire unveils digital roadmap with 40 projects
#CôtedIvoire #digitaltransformation – Côte d’Ivoire has outlined a new digital strategy through 2035 centred on seven pillars and around 40 flagship projects, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and digital skills. The government expects the digital sector to contribute 15% of GDP by 2030, up from about 6% today. (Ecofin Agency)
South Africa and India deepen AI and investment ties
#SouthAfrica #Innovation – South Africa and India have agreed to strengthen cooperation in artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, renewable energy and skills development as part of a broader strategic partnership. High-level talks also focused on trade, investment, digital transformation, infrastructure development and support for small businesses. (Business Insider Africa)
Côte d’Ivoire unveils 40-project digital roadmap to 2035
#CôtedIvoire #strategy – Côte d’Ivoire has unveiled a new digital strategy through 2035 built around seven pillars and around 40 flagship projects spanning artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, e-government and digital skills. The government expects the digital sector to contribute about 15% of GDP by 2030, up from roughly 6% today. (Ecofin Agency)
Mauritania, World Bank expand digital programme
#Mauritania #aid – Mauritania and the World Bank have agreed to expand the West Africa Regional Digital Integration Program (WARDIP) to include artificial intelligence infrastructure, skills development and AI deployment across key sectors. The initiative builds on Mauritania’s $60 million WARDIP programme and reflects the country’s growing focus on AI-enabled digital transformation. (Ecofin Agency)
Portugal offers AI and digital transformation support to Mozambique
#Mozambique #bilaterals – Portugal has pledged to support Mozambique’s digital transformation and AI development by sharing expertise in public sector digitalisation, technology investment and AI governance. The collaboration aims to modernise public services, strengthen the tech ecosystem and attract FDI under a broader bilateral cooperation framework. (Plataforma Media)
Startups
Yamify secures funding to expand Africa AI infrastructure
#DRC #infrastructure – Congolese startup Yamify has secured pre-seed funding from Launch Africa Ventures to expand its developer-first AI infrastructure platform. Founded by former TikTok and Salesforce engineer Luc Okalobé, the company enables users to deploy GPU-powered AI tools in under a minute using African data centres, with early traction across Lagos, Kinshasa, Brazzaville, Johannesburg and San Francisco. (Tech In Africa)
Edafa acquires two Egyptian AI startups
#Egypt #startups - Saudi-Egyptian investor Edafa Venture Capital has completed six-figure acquisitions of Egyptian construction technology firm Kuadra and health-tech platform IRRI Vision. The deals strengthen regional innovation efforts and reflect growing momentum in Egypt’s ecosystem for artificial intelligence-driven industry and healthcare solutions. (Middle East AI News)
Egypt launches startup initiative for smarter public services
#Egypt #accelerators - Egypt’s Ministry of Finance has launched an initiative to work with startups on smart public services, including the use of artificial intelligence to simplify tax procedures and reduce administrative burdens. The ministry is also strengthening cybersecurity, developing digital tax and customs systems, and preparing a mobile app for real estate tax services. (Daily News Egypt)
Banking
Nigeria’s central bank launches AI fraud detection system
#Nigeria #FinTech – The Central Bank of Nigeria is introducing an AI and machine learning-powered system to detect financial fraud in real time as part of its Nigeria Payments System Vision 2028. The initiative targets a 70% reduction in fraud losses by 2028 and will require regulated institutions to adopt AI-based compliance and reporting systems within three years. (TechAfrica News)
South African firms warned they are lagging on AI adoption
#SouthAfrica #adoption – South African businesses risk falling behind in the AI era, according to commentary in The Star, which notes that fewer than 30% of local companies have a formal AI strategy despite 77% of organisations globally already using or exploring the technology. The article calls for more urgent corporate action and workforce preparedness. (The Star)
Telecom
MTN targets R30bn in AI-driven value creation
#SouthAfrica #telecom – MTN Group is targeting R30-billion in AI-driven value creation over the next three to five years, with around half expected from operational efficiencies. Its NBx 2.0 personalisation platform already serves 44 million customers across six markets, while AI is also being deployed for SIM registration, fraud detection and enterprise computing services. (TechCentral)
Healthcare
Malawi hospitals use AI to help reduce child mortality
#Malawi #hospitals – Hospitals in Malawi are using the AI-powered IMPALA monitoring system to detect early signs of patient deterioration and improve paediatric care. The technology has been associated with a 40%–51% reduction in child deaths across two hospitals and is now deployed in more than 20 hospitals in Malawi and over 50 across sub-Saharan Africa. (El País)
GenAI
Chinese AI models power Africa’s local language innovation
#Africa #LLMs – African AI researcher Shikoh Gitau says Chinese open-source models are becoming the preferred foundation for African language AI development, with developers citing lower costs, faster training and open availability. Uganda’s Sunflower LLM, built on Alibaba’s Qwen 3, supports 31 Ugandan languages, reflecting China’s growing influence in Africa’s AI ecosystem. (Foreign Policy)
Education
Ethiopia surpasses 5 million coders target ahead of schedule
#Ethiopia #coding – Ethiopia has exceeded its 5 Million Ethiopian Coders Initiative target ahead of schedule, recording 5,005,146 enrolments in programming, data analysis, Android development and AI fundamentals since July 2024. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has now set a new goal of reaching 7 million enrolments by August 2026 as part of the country’s digital transformation agenda. (ENA)
Sèmè City and Sorbonne University seal AI partnership
#Benin #education – The Sèmè City Institute of Technology and Innovation and Sorbonne University have formalised a cooperation agreement focused on AI, materials science and innovation management. Building on collaboration since 2021, the partnership has already produced accredited programmes, four editions of a materials summer school and AI training for finance professionals. (Benin Web TV)
Gambian researcher launches AI-powered student guidance platform
#Gambia #counselling – Gambian-born scientist Dr Bubacarr J.B. Touray has launched Seedmap, an AI-powered academic counselling platform designed to support immigrant and first-generation students. The service combines human guidance with AI-generated student profiles and career mapping, offering its founding programme at an introductory price of $800 across 59 career pathways. (The Alkamba Times)
Makerere charts course for responsible AI in research
#Uganda #reseach– Makerere University has reaffirmed its commitment to responsible AI adoption in research management, highlighting opportunities to improve research administration, scholarly communication and innovation while safeguarding academic integrity. A university webinar brought together researchers, students and international experts to discuss AI governance, ethics, policy development and digital capacity building. (Makerere University News)
Juba’s all-female AI bootcamp showcases local innovation
#SouthSudan #skills – Seventeen young women in Juba have completed South Sudan’s first all-female AI App Development Bootcamp, developing AI-powered solutions for healthcare, agriculture, education and career guidance. Organised through the National Communication Authority’s BiLLDD initiative, the programme demonstrates growing local innovation despite significant infrastructure and connectivity challenges. (Andariya)
Defence
Kenya Defence Forces completes first basic AI course
#Kenya #defence – The Kenya Defence Forces has completed its first Service Members Basic Artificial Intelligence Course, delivered through the Defence Intelligence Academy and Moran AI and Cyber Centre of Excellence with support from Action Lab. The programme aims to build AI capabilities and strengthen KDF’s long-term technological readiness and operational effectiveness. (Kenya Ministry of Defence)
Sentiment
Study finds AI coverage in Kenya and South Africa falls short
#Africa #sedia – A new Centre for Information Integrity in Africa study, supported by DW Akademie, analysed 57 articles and journalist interviews from 2021-2026, finding AI reporting in Kenya and South Africa remains reactive and siloed. The report calls for dedicated funding, training and cross-border collaboration to strengthen African AI journalism. (DW Akademie)
[ This newsletter was both AI edited & human edited ]