The African Development Bank (AfDB), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and a coalition of private sector partners, has unveiled the AI 10 Billion Initiative, a landmark continental effort to propel responsible artificial intelligence adoption and drive inclusive digital economic growth across Africa.
Announced during the Nairobi AI Forum 2026, held on February 9-10 in Kenya’s capital, the initiative seeks to mobilize up to $10 billion by 2035. This ambitious funding target aims to build essential AI foundations, unlock massive job creation, and position Africa as a competitive player in the global AI landscape.
The launch aligns with broader African priorities, including the African Union’s Continental AI Strategy and ongoing efforts to ensure AI benefits are equitable and locally driven. It draws directly from the AfDB’s recent report, Productivity Gain Pathways to Labour Efficiency, Economic Growth and Inclusive Transformation, which highlights AI as a key driver for productivity, employment, and inclusive progress on the continent.
Key Objectives and Focus Areas
At its core, the AI 10 Billion Initiative targets investments in critical “AI foundations” to address longstanding gaps in Africa’s digital ecosystem:
Data infrastructure: Developing regional data systems, “data embassies,” and high-quality, localized datasets to power AI applications.
Compute capacity: Expanding access to processing power, including GPUs and cloud resources, to enable African innovators and startups.
Skills and talent development
Scaling education, training, and capacity-building programs to build a skilled AI workforce.
Entrepreneurship and innovation
Supporting AI startups from proof-of-concept through to equity and debt financing.
Policy and regulatory frameworks –
Establishing ethical guidelines, trust mechanisms, privacy protections, and governance structures for safe, responsible AI use.
Private sector collaboration Mobilizing capital and expertise from investors, tech firms, and development partners.
These pillars are designed to foster an enabling environment for AI innovation while emphasizing local value creation, ethical deployment, and inclusion particularly for underserved communities, women, and youth.
Projected Impact:
The initiative’s backers project transformative outcomes:
Creation of up to 40 million new jobs (with some sources citing up to 45 million) through AI-enabled sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, finance, education, and climate resilience.
Potential to unlock $1 trillion in additional economic value and GDP growth for Africa by harnessing AI productivity gains.
These figures underscore the high stakes: AI could accelerate Africa’s leapfrogging in development, but only if infrastructure, skills, and capital barriers are systematically addressed.
The Launch Context: Nairobi AI Forum 2026:
The announcement came amid a high-energy, invite-only gathering co-hosted by the governments of Kenya and Italy, alongside UNDP. The forum convened over 650 participants including government officials, private sector executives, innovators, financiers, and ecosystem builders from Africa, Europe, and G7 countries.
Other highlights from the event included announcements of compute access (1.5 million GPU hours for 130 African innovators via partners like Cineca, AWS, and Microsoft) focused on challenges in climate, local-language voice AI, and food security. The forum shifted emphasis from high-level dialogue to actionable implementation, setting the stage for initiatives like the AI 10 Billion Initiative.
Looking Ahead:
The partnership is now entering a co-design phase, working with stakeholders to refine financing mechanisms, phased commitments, and delivery roadmaps. While still in early stages, the initiative signals a shift toward concrete, scaled investments in Africa’s AI future rather than fragmented pilots.
As Nicholas Williams of the AfDB noted in related discussions, this represents a pivotal step in turning AI potential into tangible, inclusive transformation for the continent.
With Africa’s young population, growing tech ecosystems, and urgent development needs, the AI 10 Billion Initiative could mark a defining moment in bridging the global AI divide. Stakeholders across governments, private sector, and international partners are now rallying to turn this vision into reality by 2035.
