A groundbreaking partnership aims to train over 30,000 students in advanced AI skills across four African nations
Abuja, Nigeria — In a significant move to address Africa’s critical AI skills gap, the FATE Foundation has partnered with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) to launch an ambitious Advanced AI Upskilling Programme, backed by $4 million in funding from Google.org. The three-year initiative targets Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa, where demand for AI expertise far outpaces supply.
Bridging Africa’s AI Talent Gap
The programme responds to an urgent continental need. While optimism for AI reaches 95% in Nigeria and 76% in South Africa, 55% of firms across the continent report needing AI talent more than financing. The International Monetary Fund’s 2023 AI Preparedness Index reveals that Sub-Saharan Africa has the least AI skills globally, with a score of just 0.34.
“We are incredibly proud to partner with the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences on the Advanced AI UpSkilling Project,” said Adenike Adeyemi, Executive Director of FATE Foundation. “This groundbreaking initiative is a direct response to the urgent need for deep AI competencies in Africa.”
The programme aims to equip over 30,900 students with advanced AI skills over three years, empowering them to drive technological innovation across the continent.
Train-the-Trainer Model for Maximum Impact
The initiative employs a strategic Train-the-Trainer approach to ensure scalability and sustainability. It will directly support at least 30 Higher Educational Institutions, empowering 292 lecturers—referred to as AI Champions and Teaching Assistants—with the knowledge and tools to train the next generation of AI talent, focusing on penultimate and final-year STEAM students.
At the core of the curriculum is the comprehensive Google DeepMind AI Research Foundations Curriculum, comprising eight specialized courses: Build Your Own Small Language Model, Represent Your Language Data, Design and Train Neural Networks, Discover Your Transformer Architecture, Finetune Your Model, Align Your Model, Accelerate Your Model, and Capstone: Develop Your Model for Real-World Impact.
These courses will be localized for each country’s context, providing rigorous, culturally relevant educational experiences that address specific regional challenges and opportunities.
Part of Google’s Broader African AI Strategy
This initiative forms part of Google’s comprehensive AI Skilling Blueprint for Africa, which outlines a strategic framework for developing AI capabilities across three key groups: AI Learners (general population gaining foundational literacy), AI Implementers (professionals integrating AI into their work), and AI Innovators (technical experts building next-generation solutions).
Liza Ateh, Head of Google.org EMEA, emphasized the company’s commitment: “At Google, we are committed to building a safe, inclusive digital future. This commitment starts with investing in the talent and safety of our next generation of leaders across Africa.”
The funding is part of Google.org’s $7.5 million Skilling Fund, which also supports organizations like JA Africa and the CyberSafe Foundation in advancing digital literacy and cybersecurity initiatives.
Economic Imperative
For Nigeria specifically, the investment arrives at a critical juncture. Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, noted that AI could add $15 billion in economic value to Nigeria’s GDP by 2030. The initiative aligns with Nigeria’s National AI Strategy and the government’s objective of creating one million digital jobs.
“Artificial intelligence is at the heart of Nigeria’s desire to increase economic productivity as well as our ambition to compete globally in technology and innovation,” Tijani stated.
Looking Forward
Dr. Ulrich Paquet, Director of AIMS South Africa, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership’s potential: “With the support of Google.org we are thrilled to partner with FATE Foundation on an incredibly important mission: to strengthen the teaching and research of AI in Africa. We look forward to the creative innovations from across Africa that will grow out of our joint project.”
The programme represents a strategic investment in Africa’s technological future, addressing not just immediate skills shortages but building sustainable ecosystems for AI education and innovation. By embedding advanced AI curricula directly into universities and supporting institutions with sub-grants, the initiative aims to create lasting change that will position Africa as a competitive force in the global AI landscape.
As Africa’s young, rapidly growing population increasingly embraces digital technology, initiatives like this Advanced AI Upskilling Programme are essential for ensuring the continent can fully participate in—and lead—the AI-driven economy of tomorrow.
For more information about the programme, institutions can contact FATE Foundation through their official channels.
