Nigeria plan National AI Trust; Egypt licences $400M data centre project
Weekly News Digest...
Good morning!
Welcome to this week’s Africa AI News email digest!
AI innovation, investment, and governance dominates this week’s headlines. Nigeria unveiled plans for the world’s first National AI Trust to guide long-term AI governance; Kenya had talks with OpenAI to establish East Africa’s first OpenAI Academy in Nairobi; Egypt licences a $400 million data centre project; and Morocco launched the Rally AI Future Lab, bringing together 1,000 innovators to accelerate locally AI development.
Meanwhile, a new study ranks eight African countries among the world’s top 25 AI-ready outsourcing destinations, highlighting the continent’s growing competitiveness in the outsourcing economy.
Scroll down for more news.
Meanwhile, I am proud to announce that Africa AI News sister title Middle East AI News has partnered with RAISE Summit which takes place on July 8th and 9th at the Louvre in Paris! RAISE is now one of the world’s most influential AI forums with more than 80% of attendees at C-level.
So, if you’re considering attending RAISE (and obviously, time is running out to apply for French visas), do take advantage of the Middle East AI News exclusive discount code (MEAN20) when you buy your ticket, which gives 20% off either PRO or VIP passes for the event. Tickets here.
Thanks for reading!
/Carrington
Governance
Nigeria unveils world-first National AI Trust
#Nigeria #UK #governance - Nigeria has unveiled plans for a National AI Trust, described by Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Dr. Bosun Tijani as the world’s first institution of its kind. Approved by the Federal Executive Council, the Trust will guide responsible AI adoption, ethical investment and long-term governance beyond political cycles. (Africa AI News)
South Africa begins review of AI policy
#SouthAfrica #policy - South Africa has appointed a seven-member expert panel to redraft the withdrawn National AI Policy. The withdrawal, in April, followed an internal review found the original document contained AI-generated content and fictitious sources. The panel will develop a new version. (African Law & Business)
Morocco helps shape UN AI governance dialogue
#Morocco #UN - Morocco’s Ambassador Omar Hilale co-chaired a high-level UN meeting in New York ahead of the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance. The discussions brought together member states to encourage broader international participation in developing future AI governance frameworks. (Hespress)
Congo advances national data governance strategy
#Congo #datagovernance - The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the Republic of the Congo’s Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and the Digital Economy, and GIZ engaged 60 stakeholders and trained 50 participants to support a National Data Governance Strategy. The initiative also included an AI readiness assessment through ECA’s partnership with Google. (ECA)
Data Centres
Egypt signs $400m data centre deal
#Egypt #datacentres - Egypt’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has licensed Hassan Allam Digital Infrastructure to develop and operate a $400 million data centre in partnership with venture capital firm A15. The project supports Egypt’s ambition to become a regional digital services hub and generate $42.7 billion in AI-related economic value by 2030. (Middle East AI News)
New Ventures
FM6SS, ABA LIFE launch AI healthcare venture
#Morocco #healthcare - FM6SS and ABA LIFE have partnered to create a joint venture developing AI-powered healthcare infrastructure in Morocco. Launching operations in October 2026, the initiative aims to train 100,000 healthcare professionals, support 50 research programmes, enable 25 million teleconsultations, and expand solutions across Africa. (Hespress)
African AI startups sign seven European partnerships
#Africa #startups - Seven partnerships between African AI innovators and European industry leaders have been signed under the G7-endorsed AI Hub for Sustainable Development. The agreements span agriculture, healthcare, language technology, education and AI infrastructure, building on a programme that has supported 130 African startups with access to supercomputing and cloud resources. (UNDP)
Outsourcing
Eight African nations rank in AI outsourcing top 25
#Africa #AIreadiness- Eight African countries have been named among the world’s top 25 AI-ready outsourcing destinations in the inaugural Global Outsourcing AI Readiness Index by Ataraxis. South Africa ranked eighth globally, while Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, Morocco, Ghana, Uganda and Ethiopia also featured, highlighting the continent’s growing competitiveness in AI-enabled services. (Africa AI News)
Banking
98% of South African bankers fear faster fraud
#SouthAfrica #fraud - A BioCatch survey found 98% of South African banking leaders are concerned about the increasing speed of fraud, while 96% say AI has made scams more sophisticated. Nearly 79% report rising fraud losses, with 44% estimating their institutions lose more than $10 million annually to fraud. (Business Explainer)
Bank of Mozambique calls for AI banking regulation
#Mozambique #banking - Bank of Mozambique Governor Rogério Zandamela has called for regulation of AI in the financial sector to balance innovation with stability, security and consumer protection. The central bank has already adopted an AI policy, launched digital transformation initiatives for 2025–2027, and formed a dedicated AI team to support responsible technology use. (360 Mozambique
SMEs
Yoco launches AI tools for South African SMEs
#SouthAfrica #SMEs - South African fintech Yoco has launched more than 20 new products, including an AI-powered business agent designed to help small businesses manage sales, staffing and operations. Serving over 200,000 merchants, the platform aims to support entrepreneurs as 46% report lower business confidence amid rising costs and weaker consumer spending. (IOL)
Transport
Côte d’Ivoire deploys AI for road safety checks
#CotedIvoire #transport - Côte d’Ivoire has integrated AI-powered automatic licence plate recognition into police patrols and traffic checkpoints in Abidjan. The system scans vehicles in real time, verifying registration, inspections and insurance against national databases, helping authorities identify non-compliant vehicles and strengthen road safety enforcement. (Starnok)
Education
Egypt launches AI training for government leaders
#Egypt #education - Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the National Training Academy have launched a national AI training initiative for senior public sector leaders. The programme covers generative AI, agentic AI, digital twins, cybersecurity and data governance, supporting the objectives of Egypt’s National AI Strategy 2025–2030. (Middle East AI News)
Algeria opens national AI learning centre
#Algeria #education - Algeria has inaugurated its first National Center for Virtual Learning and Artificial Intelligence in Sidi Abdellah. The facility will support AI-enabled education, digital learning and university research, contributing to plans for a knowledge-based economy and a 20,000-company startup ecosystem by 2029. (We Are Tech Africa)
Kenya in talks to host OpenAI Academy
#Kenya #education - Kenya is discussing plans with OpenAI to establish East Africa’s first OpenAI Academy in Nairobi, following talks between President William Ruto and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman at the G7 Summit this week. (Africa AI News)
Labs & Challenges
Morocco launches Rally AI Future Lab
#Morocco #innovation - Morocco’s Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform has launched the Rally AI Future Lab, bringing together 1,000 researchers, developers and entrepreneurs in Merzouga for a five-day innovation sprint. The initiative, part of the AI Made in Morocco strategy, aims to reach 5,000 participants nationwide and accelerate locally developed AI solutions. (Africa AI News)
The Gambia hosts Robotics for Good challenge
#Gambia #robotics - The Gambia has hosted the national qualifying round of the Robotics for Good Youth Challenge, the UN-backed global robotics competition organised by the International Telecommunication Union. The event i
nvited students aged 10 to 18 to develop AI and robotics solutions focused on food security, with winners advancing to the 2026 global finale in Geneva. (ITU AI for Good)
Singularity Computing to represent Algeria at GEC+Afrika
#Algeria #startups - Algerian startup Singularity Computing has been selected to represent Algeria at the GEC+Afrika 2026 finals in South Africa. Chosen from 59 projects and 10 national finalists, the company develops AI and applied mathematics solutions for industrial engineering, serving sectors including aerospace, automotive and advanced manufacturing. (Radio Algeria)
East African students build AI for skills-based hiring
#EastAfrica #education - Nearly 1,000 students from 57 universities across eight East African countries took part in the AI4EAC Innovation Challenge, organised by the EAC AI Alliance and UNESCO Campus Africa. Participants developed AI solutions for education, healthcare, agriculture and finance, including tools to match skills with employment opportunities and improve workforce mobility. (UNESCO)
Defence
Morocco signs AI defence partnership with Harmattan
#Morocco #defence - Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces have signed a strategic partnership with Harmattan AI to develop autonomous air defence capabilities and strengthen the country’s defence technology base. The agreement includes plans for local manufacturing of autonomous systems, an AI-focused defence R&D centre, and collaboration with Moroccan universities and research institutions. (Harmattan AI)
Opinion
Rising AI costs threaten Africa’s digital ambitions
#Africa #digitaleconomy - Rising AI infrastructure costs are creating new barriers for African startups, universities and governments, according to an opinion piece by Professor Ojo Emmanuel Ademola in The Guardian Nigeria. The article warns of growing algorithmic dependency and calls for investment in local AI infrastructure and talent. (The Guardian Nigeria)
[ This newsletter was both AI edited & human edited ]