African leaders push for inclusive AI development at UNGA town hall

Joy Agwunobi 

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape economies and societies worldwide, African leaders are demanding a bigger say in how the technology is developed, regulated, and deployed across the continent. 

This call was made at a high-level Town Hall on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, organised by the UN in partnership with the BBC’s Focus on Africa.

The gathering brought together ministers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and youth voices to debate whether AI represents an opportunity or a threat for Africa—and how the continent can ensure it is not left behind in the global race.

At the session, Ahunna Eziakonwa, director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa, stressed that Africa’s AI conversation must go beyond algorithms to include data and infrastructure.

Launched just 18 months ago, the Timbuktu initiative has already supported 170 startups across 45 African countries, driving innovation in sectors aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These, she noted, include not only fintech, but also healthtech, agritech, and other human development sectors, with the dual aim of accelerating progress and creating jobs.

Eziakonwa further disclosed that UNDP has begun working with universities to install AI workstations, starting in Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, and other countries, to encourage early adoption of AI in higher education.

Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, Morocco’s minister for digital transition and administrative reform, highlighted her country’s broad investments in building AI capacity, stressing that Africa’s future in artificial intelligence depends on education, infrastructure, and inclusion.

“If we want to create AI in Africa, we need to have more people building capacities in this domain. And to create AI, we need data centers. Africa today has less than one percent of the world’s data centers, yet we have a youthful population who still have the capacity to learn and lead,” she said.

Seghrouchni explained that Morocco is addressing this gap through multiple initiatives. These include programs for skilling, upskilling, and reskilling in AI, strong support for PhD students conducting advanced research in AI and algorithmics, and the establishment of “U Code” schools, described as “schools of the second chance” for individuals who struggled in traditional education but can be trained in digital and AI skills.

She also stressed the importance of linguistic diversity in AI development. “In Africa, we have many dialects that are not processed by existing large language models. Most of the dominant systems focus on Latin-based languages and overlook African ones. We need to work on that,” she said.

Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s minister of communications, innovation and digital economy, stressed that infrastructure remains the foundation of Africa’s AI ambitions. “We’re training three million technical talents, four percent of that focused on AI and machine learning. But when we train without providing the enabling environment and absorptive capacity, these young people will not get the opportunity to participate,” he said. To address this, Nigeria is investing $2 billion in 90,000 kilometers of fiber optic network.

Ahead of the Town Hall, African citizens were asked whether they viewed AI as a friend or foe. Their concerns, played back during the discussion, revolved around trust in leaders, ethical regulation, and the risk of job losses.

One respondent said: “AI is a tool and, as we all know, a tool can be good, but in the wrong hands it can be used for harm. My biggest worry is our leaders in Africa; are they ready to embrace this AI and use it for good rather than bad?”

Others questioned whether governments were ready to regulate AI in ways that respect African values and how workers displaced by automation would be protected.

Tijani dismissed fears of large-scale job losses, arguing instead that Africa should position itself for job creation. “Africa shouldn’t be worried about job losses when it comes to AI… We should focus on job gains because this is a continent projected to be home to 40 percent of the youth population. The workforce of the future will be based in Africa,” he said.

Nthanda Maduwi, founder of the Ntha Foundation, offered a different perspective. “In the unique case of Africa, job losses may be a good thing. Many of the jobs we’ve had have been clerical jobs, managing donor funds, writing too many reports. Maybe AI can do that, and that’s a good thing.”

The debate also touched on regulation. While Maduwi cautioned against rushing into frameworks for a technology “we have not created or do not understand,” both Tijani and Seghrouchni argued regulation was essential.

Financing also emerged as a major hurdle. Maduwi cited data showing that just 0.5 percent of all venture capital funding went to Black founders. “There’s a lot of money in the world, but it is not coming to Africa,” she said.

Eziakonwa stressed that African investors must lead the way to attract global capital. “Unless African investors recognize this space and invest, outside investors will not think there is value there,” she warned.

Maduwi also pressed for education reforms, warning that Africa’s current system was producing administrators rather than innovators. “Our education system is still outdated. We’re creating public administrators, not innovators. Asia trained its generation to be creators. If hundreds of millions of young Africans created companies, then we can have a continent that is trading.”

Panelists agreed that Africa’s challenges, including  connectivity gaps, limited funding, and regulatory questions;should be reframed as opportunities to design uniquely African solutions. They urged young people to take advantage of increasingly accessible entry points into AI, positioning themselves not just as consumers but as active shapers of the technology.