UAE unveils $1bn ‘AI for Development’ plan for Africa at G20

Sunday 23rd November 2025

by inAfrika Newsroom

The UAE AI Africa initiative took shape in Johannesburg on Saturday as the United Arab Emirates pledged $1 billion to expand artificial intelligence infrastructure and services across the continent. Announced on the sidelines of the G20 leaders’ meeting, the “AI for Development Initiative” will fund data centres, cloud capacity and AI tools in sectors such as education, health and climate adaptation.

UAE Minister of State Saeed Bin Mubarak Al Hajeri said the programme aims to align with African national development plans while promoting “responsible and inclusive” AI. Although the UAE is not a G20 member, it has become one of Africa’s largest investment partners, with trade and investment flows above $200 billion in the past five years. Officials indicated that grants, blended finance and public-private partnerships will all be used to deliver the UAE AI Africa initiative, with priority for countries that commit to data protection and transparent governance.

African delegates welcomed the announcement but stressed that connectivity gaps, low computing power and skills shortages could slow implementation. The World Bank estimates West and Central Africa currently hold only 0.2% of global computing capacity, and ministers at a separate summit in Benin last week agreed to create regional AI excellence centres and train 20 million people in digital skills by 2030.

Why it matters for Africa

Deployed well, the UAE AI Africa initiative could accelerate Africa’s digital leap while easing pressure on overstretched public systems. AI tools can help rural clinics triage patients, support adaptive learning for crowded classrooms and improve climate early-warning systems for farmers. Yet the benefits will depend on closing basic gaps in electricity, broadband and local skills, and on safeguards that prevent misuse of data or algorithmic bias. Because the funding is framed as development-oriented, African governments may gain more room to experiment with local AI solutions rather than importing one-size-fits-all tools, potentially strengthening digital sovereignty as well as growth.