Google on Thursday unveiled a $37 million package to accelerate artificial intelligence development across Africa, pledging support for local AI research and projects ranging from crop monitoring to adapting technology for the continent’s languages.
The commitment from the US tech giant also included efforts to back startups in the health and education sectors.
“Africa is home to some of the most important and inspiring work in AI today,” said James Manyika, a senior vice president at the company, speaking during the launch of an “AI community centre” in Ghana’s capital, Accra.
The centre will serve as a hub for training, collaboration and experimentation, including programming for AI literacy.
Among the flagship initiatives unveiled is the AI Collaborative for Food Security, meant to connect researchers and non-profits to develop tools to improve early hunger detection, crop resilience and decision-making for smallholder farmers.