Microsoft in $247m South Africa DC investment; MTN Ghana to train 1m coders

Africa AI News weekly digest...

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

A sign of national governments’ AI-FOMO: increasingly presidents and ministers are meeting with global tech multinationals to position their nations as destinations for investments; in skills, in infrastructure, in anything that will direct the trillions being poured into tech into their countries. At the moment the skills dev play is winning as it is funny money — you can more or less pick a number from a hat, add a couple of zeros and you’re off to train a million people. Infrastructure (like DCs, DCs and more DCs) requires actual spend on actual stuff.

And actual stuff is what Africa’s AI community needs. Which is why the announcement yesterday by Microsoft that it would put $247 million into datacenter infrastructure in South African by the end of 2027 took people by surprise. The details are a bit fuzzy. Is it all for data centre investment, or is part of it earmarked for the 50,000 high-demand digital skills MS also said it will sponsor in the same announcement? Because at a high water mark of (say) $5,000 per person to certify in advanced skills, that’s $250-million right there.

But fear not, because while the US tech bros are gland-handing at Davos, and will be doing the same at the G20 summit in Johannesburg in November, China is starting to quietly lean in to provide an alternative future for Africa. US AI giants are clearly aware of this: “Microsoft aims to expand the global reach of U.S. AI, positioning it as a superior alternative to rival technologies, particularly those emerging from China.”

If you control the local infrastructure, you control the local industry.

May you live in interesting times, indeed (note: not an actual Chinese curse).

On with this week’s issue!

/Roger

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Investment

Microsoft announces $247m data centre investment for “AI loads”

#SouthAfrica #datacentres — Microsoft president, Brad Smith, announced this during a visit to Johannesburg, at an event addressed by South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa. Additional details to be forthcoming. Microsoft is reportedly spending $80-billion globally on data centre build in 2025, mostly in the US ($247m is 1/3 of a percent of this). (TechCentral)

China eyeing Africa AI investments

#Africa #China #investment — A somewhat cryptic story ran in a Pakistan Defence newsletter, but reading between the lines there are some glimpses of China’s strategy in driving its AI tech into Africa — through (likely) compute and data centre build projects being added to China’s Belt & Road infrastructure initiatives across much of the developing world, intended to put in place key components of a China-centric global trade order. China reportedly sees Africa as a major long term customer of its AI tech, with less of the encumberances of US-led projects. (Pakistan Defence)

Nigeria establishes Google AI alliance

#Nigeria #collaboration — Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, met with Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, to discuss ways to strengthen Nigeria’s capabilities in AI and digital innovation. The Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy will manage the partnership’s strategic efforts, while the National Information Technology Development Agency will handle execution. (ITWeb)

MTN signs with Ghana government to train a million coders

#Ghana #education — South African mobile operator MTN has formalised an agreement with the Ghanaian government to support the ambitious ‘One Million Coders Program”. The MOU was signed at Mobile World Congress 2025 in Barcelona this week by Ghana’s Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, and MTN Group President and CEO, Ralph Mupita. This initiative adds to the 2023 launch of the MTN Skills Academy in several MTN operating countries, including Ghana. (IOL)

Botswana Sci-Tech Uni to collaborate with Botswana Railway on next gen AI tech

#Botswana #collaboration — Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) and Botswana Railways will explore new tech, including IoT, AI, and the predictive maintenance solutions they enable to enhance railway operations. (BIUST)

UK Deputy PM visits Ethiopian AI Institute in show of solidarity

#Ethiopia #collaboration — Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Angela Rayner, visited the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute (EAII), joined by her Ethiopian counterpart, Temesgen Tiruneh. The intent was to show how Ethiopia and the UK are collaborating to integrate AI into health, agriculture, security, logistics, and more. (Fana Broadcasting)

Policy

Egypt launches AI Safety Centre initiative

#Egypt #safety – Egypt’s Academy of Scientific Research and Technology has opened proposals for institutions to establish an AI Safety Centre. The initiative aims to advance AI research, education, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Applications are open until May 1, 2025. (Benha University)

Uganda weighs AI policy vs. framework for innovation

#Uganda #AIpolicy – Uganda is debating whether to adopt a formal AI policy or a flexible framework to regulate and drive AI adoption. With a decision expected by the end of 2025, the government is consulting stakeholders to ensure AI governance aligns with national priorities across key sectors. (Nile Post)

Nigerian experts push for national AI policy law

#Nigeria #AIpolicy – Education experts in Nigeria have urged the government to enact a law supporting a comprehensive national AI policy. The call, made during the inaugural AI Awareness Day, emphasised the need for clear goals, priorities, and implementation plans to drive AI adoption in higher education. (Nigerian Tribune)

Applications

Community Wolf uses AI to police community police WhatsApp groups

#SouthAfrica #chatbots — WhatsApp has become a very popular way for neighbourhoods and communities to organise, share information and report issues, especially around security (neighbourhood watches, Community Police Forums). They’re also rich in false and incomplete information, or information that does not get to the right place for action. Like the police. Community Wolf is a platform that processes WhatsApp inputs through an AI engine and uses it to provide real-time data for private security teams and law enforcement. (MyBroadBand)

Rwanda and Uganda kick of Phase II of weather disaster predictery

#Rwanda #Uganda #climate — The Strengthening Early Warning Systems for Anticipatory Action (SEWAA) initiative sees phase two begin applying machine learning to early warning systems to improve predictions, critical when alerts can trigger massive disruption in people’s lives. It is run by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). (New Vision)

Competitions

Second Edition of Presidential African Youth in AI & Robotics Comp

#Africa #competition — The Presidential African Youth in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Competition 2025 is a collaboration between the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) through the AU High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies and Ele-vate AI Africa. The 2025 edition will be hosted in collaboration with the South African Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC). Participants must be African between 15 and 35, as teams or individuals. Submit AI or robotics projects by June 13. (Ele-vate AI Africa)

Rwanda holds first Lego League & AI Hackathon

#Rwanda #hackathon — The First Lego League & AI Hackathon in Rwanda has wrapped up, celebrating excellence in science, AI and robotics, bringing together students from across the country. Running in cities all over the world, it targets tots for “Discover”, kids for “Explore” and teens for “Challenge” (coding, engineering). (Rwanda Ministry of Education)

Events

Uganda to host Africa AI Summit in May

#Uganda #AISummit – Uganda is preparing to host the Africa Artificial Intelligence Summit 2025 at Speke Resort Munyonyo. The event, themed “Navigating Artificial Intelligence for Business Growth and Resilience,” aims to shape Africa’s AI future and drive innovation across key sectors. (The Independent)

[ This newsletter was human edited and AI encapsulated ]