Oracle opens Agadir R&D hub; Google Africa investment tops $1B
Weekly News Digest...
Good morning!
Welcome to this week’s Africa AI News email digest!
Another big week for AI across Africa. In this edition, Kenya elevates AI to the heart of government with a new Cabinet committee; Oracle opens a second R&D centre in Morocco as it expands its AI and cloud workforce; Google unveils new investments in AI infrastructure, startups and creators after surpassing its $1 billion Africa investment target; and Rwanda and Egypt deepen cooperation on AI, digital transformation and digital skills through a planned bilateral agreement.
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Policy
Kenya Cabinet forms national AI committee
#Kenya #AIstrategy – Kenya’s Cabinet has established a Standing Cabinet Committee on Artificial Intelligence to coordinate national AI policy and support responsible adoption across government. The move builds on the Kenya Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025–2030, while a new BPO policy targets a global market projected to exceed KSh 68 trillion ($526 billion) by 2030. (Africa AI News)
Rwanda and Egypt deepen AI partnership
#Rwanda #bilaterals – Rwanda and Egypt plan to sign a memorandum of understanding to expand cooperation on artificial intelligence, digital transformation and digital skills. The partnership will launch joint AI pilot projects in healthcare, agriculture, digital public services and local language technologies, while strengthening research, talent development and AI governance. (Ecofin Agency)
R&D
Oracle opens second Morocco R&D hub
#Morocco #cloud – Oracle has inaugurated its second Moroccan R&D centre in Agadir, expanding its national workforce to nearly 1,000 professionals developing Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, AI applications and data platforms. The investment strengthens Morocco’s technology ecosystem and supports Oracle’s $140 million expansion plan through 2030. (Africa AI News)
GenAI
Google and Idris Elba back AI for creators
#Africa #media – Google and actor-philanthropist Idris Elba have launched a $1 million initiative to provide 100,000 creators across Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya and Sierra Leone with free access to Gemini and other AI tools. The programme aims to boost content quality, lower production costs and strengthen Africa’s growing creative economy. (Business Insider Africa)
Startups
Novastar and Google launch Applied AI Lab
#Africa #startups – Novastar Ventures and Google have launched an Applied AI Lab to support African startups and researchers developing AI solutions for healthcare, agriculture and education. The first cohort will select five to 10 participants, offering advanced AI models, technical mentorship, Cloud credits and potential funding. (TechNext)
Propeller graduates five MENA AI startups
#USA #MENA #startups – Venture capital firm Propeller has graduated five AI and deep-tech startups from Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan and Egypt through its inaugural eight-week Kernel Camp residency. The programme connects MENA founders with investors, executives and mentors ahead of a second cohort. (Middle East AI News)
Kenya’s Fikra launches AI inference API
#Kenya #developers – Kenyan startup Fikra API has launched an OpenAI-compatible AI inference API tailored for African developers, startups and businesses. The platform supports M-Pesa payments, charges a flat $1 per two million tokens, and aims to lower the cost and payment barriers to building AI applications across Africa. (360 Angola)
Ugandan AI innovator wins Commonwealth award
#Uganda #agriculture – Ugandan entrepreneur Shifra Ainomugisha has been named the 2026 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year for developing AI and solar-powered technologies that support smallholder farmers. Through Solafam Uganda, her solutions have reduced post-harvest losses by 30% and increased household incomes by nearly 28%. (Africa Sustainability Matters)
Education
MBZUAI and ALA launch AI for Africa bootcamp
#SouthAfrica #education – Abu Dhabi-based Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) and the African Leadership Academy (ALA) are delivering a two-week AI for Africa bootcamp in Johannesburg for 30 secondary school students from across the continent. The programme combines AI, sustainability and agriculture, with participants developing practical AI solutions for agriculture and education. (AI for Africa)
Camara and UNICEF expand AI learning in Ethiopia
#Ethiopia #education – Camara Education has secured a $2.56 million partnership with UNICEF to deploy 115 AI-powered Digital Learning Hubs across Ethiopia by 2027. The programme will train 1,570 teachers and school leaders in digital skills and AI, while equipping 7,000 students with digital and transferable skills. (TechCentral.ie)
Investment
Google tops $1 billion Africa investment target
#Africa #cloud – Google has exceeded its five-year $1 billion investment target in Africa, unveiling new connectivity, cloud and AI initiatives. The company will establish Africa’s first applied AI lab in Ghana, launch a connectivity hub in South Africa, and support startups and digital skills development across the continent. (CNBC Africa)
AIQ explores Egypt AI joint venture for petroleum sector
#Egypt #energy – The Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources is in talks with Abu Dhabi-based AIQ to establish AIQ Egypt, a joint venture for AI-powered petroleum operations. The platform would combine Egypt Upstream Gateway data with AIQ’s technologies to improve exploration, production efficiency and decision-making. (Egypt Oil & Gas)
Agriculture
SAS uses AI to support South African micro-farmers
#SouthAfrica #agriculture – SAS has partnered with dataDecisions.ai to use AI and advanced analytics to help South African micro-farmers improve crop planning, increase income potential and strengthen food security. The initiative analysed four growing seasons of crop performance and market data to deliver practical planting recommendations. (Africa Business Communities)
Manufacturing
El Sewedy Electric cuts process times 84% with AI
#Egypt #manufacturing – El Sewedy Electric says 30 completed AI projects have reduced process times by an average of 84% across manufacturing, legal, HR and customer service operations. The company is also deploying AI for workplace safety, engineering project monitoring and EV charging support after training employees through more than 2,000 AI sessions. (Zawya)
Law
Nigeria weighs AI evidence rules for courts
#Nigeria #legaltech – A new legal analysis argues Nigeria’s Evidence Act may be ill-equipped to deal with AI-generated evidence such as deepfakes and synthetic documents. This article calls for legislative reforms, judicial training and AI governance measures to strengthen the integrity of court proceedings as generative AI becomes more widespread. (Afriwise)
Competitions
Zimbabwe launches AI for Impact Challenge
#Zimbabwe #innovation – Zimbabwe has opened applications for its AI for Impact Challenge, a national programme under the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2026–2030. The initiative offers up to US$80,000 in funding, alongside mentorship and incubation support, for teams developing AI solutions to address public, industry and regulatory challenges. (Funds for NGOs