From Demographics to Digital: Seizing Africa’s AI Investment Opportunity

Africa is positioned at the intersection of two of the most profound revolutions shaping the world. With Artificial Intelligence (AI) is in the early stages of transforming the technology and business worlds, Africa, with a median age of 19, represents the future of the world’s technology workforce. Across Africa governments are struggling with the need to create jobs for the large number of youth entering the workforce each year, while companies are experiencing acute shortages of skilled professionals conversant in AI. At the same time, Africa will need major investments in digital infrastructure and supportive government strategies to capture the opportunity. Data centers alone are estimated as a $5B opportunity while African economies could unlock up to $100 billion in annual economic value across multiple sectors from gen AI alone. A combination of workforce AI training, strategic digital infrastructure investment, and supportive government strategies and policies can drive job creation and prosperity across the continent. This panel will bring together technology executives, digital infrastructure investors, thought-leaders and forward-leaning governments to discuss how they are taking action to ensure Africa seizes this investment opportunity.