Africa's Vision For AI Adoption Is Marred By Structural Challenges. India Could Lend A Helping Hand

But that is only half the work done. Beyond investment commitments and a general consensus on the need for an inclusive and responsible AI ecosystem, policy ambiguity, structural gaps, and infrastructural challenges continue to hinder the adoption of responsible AI. 

For India and Africa, this is not just a moment of reckoning, but an opportune time to leverage the strategic advantages, development priorities, and collaboration opportunities. 

The Global South should not remain only a consumer of AI, but become its co-creator. This was the clarion call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the summit, echoing the views of Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, who had articulated similar sentiments a year ago: “Africa must own its data, build its digital infrastructure, and define its own rules if it is to benefit from artificial intelligence.” 

Pressing Need For Common Policy Framework

Policy and governance frameworks remain the key factor in developing a clear roadmap for AI development. At a time when African leadership in continental forums such as the African Union (AU) is actively promoting AI intervention and integration, it is prudent to sustain the momentum generated at the New Delhi summit. 

Besides the shared Global South perspective, both India and Africa consider AI as a public-interest technology capable of delivering solutions at scale, particularly in areas such as governance, healthcare, agriculture, and education in resource-constrained settings.  

For this very reason, a framework defined by shared development experiences and complementary capabilities becomes an imperative to scale the adoption of AI at a large scale. India’s own digital transformation, marked by scalable public digital infrastructure, cost-efficient innovation, and large-scale capacity building, offers lessons that could help address several of Africa’s most pressing AI challenges, particularly as continental forums such as the African Union (AU) are actively promoting AI intervention and integration. 

Challenges In AI Adoption

From financial resources to policy ambiguity, weak infrastructure, internal instability, and capacity and skill gaps, AI integration has been marred by structural challenges, despite the adoption of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, a comprehensive, long-term blueprint in 2015.

Infrastructure gaps remain the most long-standing challenge for sustainable growth in most parts of Africa. Power generation and distribution bottlenecks, infrequent and low-speed internet connectivity, and a lack of resources to create world-class data centres hinder the development of strong AI systems. According to data, the continent accounts for less than 1% of global data centre capacity, and most of its internet traffic is routed through foreign servers, resulting in escalating costs and data sovereignty concerns. This is where the continent could take a cue from India.

Financial Constraints

It was not long ago that 52 African countries announced the $60-billion African AI Fund, during the Kigali Summit. Yet financial constraints remain. The scenario is not just limited to Africa but can be generalised for other Global South countries as well.

In this context, it was quite pragmatic that António Guterres, Secretary-General, UN, called for the creation of a $3-billion global fund to support AI capacity-building in developing countries during the New Delhi summit. He suggested that this fund should focus on skill development, improving internet access in the communities, and creating affordable computing and data infrastructure.

In Africa's context, the lack of funding impacts research and innovation as well. 

Furthermore, despite being the continent with the youngest population, Africa has seen a persistent gap in the required skillsets – be it tele-communications, agri-tech, IT, and, more specifically, AI. Consequently, Africa’s AI talent base remains limited, with minimal practical and hands-on experience in emerging technologies.

As per available data, Africans account for less than 0.5% of global participation in machine learning and large language model (LLM) development. The challenge is further compounded by the brain drain, similar to India, with the continued outflow of skilled professionals to the western countries.  

To develop a clear roadmap for AI development in Africa, what is crucial is to have appropriate and adequate policy and governance frameworks. However, the reality is that many countries in Africa have yet to develop comprehensive national AI strategies and integrate them into their development plans and policies. In addition, a lack of regulatory frameworks for ethical safeguarding, such as data privacy, creates uncertainty for innovators, investors, and technology firms. This weakens investor confidence and slows down the adoption and scaling of AI technologies across the continent.

Six global casebooks documenting high-impact AI deployments across health, energy, gender empowerment, agriculture, education, and accessibility were released during the AI Summit, providing evidence-based AI solutions for real-world implementation. India’s experience and proven track record offer practical templates for African countries seeking affordable, interoperable solutions aligned with their development priorities.

What Lies Ahead

Further, the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme, joint training programmes, research collaborations with African universities, and India-funded institutions in Africa, tech startups and shared innovation hubs, can expand the pool of skilled professionals. India’s tech ecosystem is also well-positioned to mentor and collaborate with African counterparts.

By co-creating standards that reflect shared values and developmental goals, India and African nations can shape a balanced AI future that empowers local communities, rather than reinforcing existing inequalities. AI could become a new theatre of diplomacy between India and Africa. The India–Africa partnership can pave the way for co-developed platforms, shared technological standards, and durable institutional linkages. 

(The writer is a geopolitical analyst and Director of the African Centre of India. Views are personal.)