Google commits R670m to AI in Africa

Source: Pexels

The funding spans research, digital skills, infrastructure and support for startups, with projects targeting key sectors including food security, local language technologies, and responsible AI development. Some of the funding announced was previously committed but unreported.

Among the major initiatives is a R450m ($25m) investment into the AI Collaborative for Food Security, a new multi-partner effort to co-develop AI tools aimed at improving early hunger forecasting, crop resilience and support for smallholder farmers.

In South Africa, two research institutions will receive R18m ($1m) each from Google.org. The University of Pretoria’s African Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence will use the grant to expand applied AI research and training. Wits University’s Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery Institute will use its grant to fund postgraduate students conducting foundational AI research.

Google is also backing the development of AI tools in over 40 African languages through R54 million ($3 million) in funding for the Masakhane Research Foundation. Additional funding will support education-focused programmes across Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, as well as a catalytic initiative aimed at helping over 100 AI-driven startups scale.

The new AI Community Centre in Accra will provide a physical space for learning and collaboration, with programming focused on AI literacy, community tech, social impact, and the arts.

The company says the move builds on its broader efforts to support Africa’s growing AI talent base and to ensure technologies are developed with local context and global relevance.