The African Development Bank (AfDB) and technology giant Intel have joined forces to provide three
The African Development Bank (AfDB) and technology giant Intel have joined forces to equip three million Africans and 30,000 government officials with advanced artificial intelligence skills.
According to a statement published on the African Development Bank website, this collaboration, announced at the recent annual meetings of the African Development Bank in Nairobi, Kenya, aims to revolutionize the African digital ecosystem.
Promoting digital transformation in Africa
This initiative aims to equip many Africans with the skills of the fourth industrial revolution, including skills in advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics and data science, which are essential for improving economic growth and productivity in Africa.
The partnership aims to train Africans in the field of artificial intelligence, and enable them to develop expertise in this area. This will enable individuals to play a more active role in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, contributing to innovation and problem solving.
The training program is expected to have a positive impact on various sectors, including agriculture, health and education. By addressing social and economic challenges and improving productivity, it can help promote sustainable development and improve the overall quality of life in Africa.
Benvenu Agbokponto Soglo, Director of Government Affairs at Intel Africa and Chief Technology Officer at IGA, expressed Intel’s enthusiasm for this partnership. Intel wants to work with African governments to make advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence accessible to everyone, regardless of location, gender or race, and help people participate in the digital economy, Soglo said.
According to the press release, the partnership goes beyond simple individual training. It also helps African countries, regional groups and continental organizations develop coherent policies and rules for digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G and cloud computing. This will create a unified approach to digital transformation across Africa.
Africa and artificial intelligence
Although African countries are currently trying to catch up in AI, Nigeria recently made significant progress by launching its first major multilingual language model (LLM), with the aim of becoming a pioneer in AI development across the continent.
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Despite its efforts, Nigeria, like many other African countries, faces a significant shortage of talent in creating AI technology that rivals the capabilities of tech giants like OpenAI, Google and Meta.
Additionally, the high cost of training AI models poses a significant barrier for many individuals and organizations outside of the technology sector, hindering their ability to participate in the AI revolution.
Citing OpenAI as an example, the company’s CEO Sam Altman cited the high cost of training GPT-4 and sought to raise up to $7 trillion for a project to address the global shortage massive number of semiconductor chips.
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