Slow AI penetration in Africa

By Taurai Mabhachi and Nkosikhona Sibanda | Jul. 19, 2024

However, the main challenge remains that Southern Africa still lacks the digital infrastructure to ensure that it enjoys this all important technology.

THE world is currently gripped by the phenomenon of Artificial Intelligence (AI) but Southern Africa is yet to meaningfully enjoy this wonder.

Most importantly is that the Southern African populace is merely a beneficiary of AI without having invented or given an input in the engineering technology that ushered Artificial Intelligence (AI).

However, the main challenge remains that Southern Africa still lacks the digital infrastructure to ensure that it enjoys this all important technology. It is not a lie that AI is marginally enjoyed in Southern African urban areas with a greater majority in the high density, farming and rural communities not enjoying this important communication tool.

A Southern African country that is somehow prepared in terms of adopting AI is South Africa that has at least among other things achieved the electrification of all its communities including the rural areas. Electricity is one of the key aspects that is part of the Digital Infrastructure that is critical to powering computers.

Penetration of AI in Southern Africa will be expected to be employed in all forms of productive processes like manufacturing, education, hospitality, agriculture, communication and so on.

To prove this case, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) consulting firm estimates the global economic impact of AI to be around US $15,7 trillion by 2030, the report indicates that of this figure US$6,6 trillion is likely to come from increased productivity and US$9,1 trillion is likely to come from consumption side effects.

In light of this, Africa and Southern Africa in particular should be a beneficiary of the AI windfall expected by 2030 so as to improve its GDP as the World Bank recorded that in 2023 sub Saharan African merely recorded a GDP of 2,03 trillion.

If the Southern African countries are to benefit in Agricultural production, aspects such as monitoring soil, crop health, conduct predictive analysis for pest and disease management and automating machinery enhances farming operations, efficiency and sustainability.

Keep Reading

Be that as it may, the challenge remains that AI penetration in Southern Africa is very slow, especially in high density, rural and marginalised communities. As these communities lack the necessary investments in issues like digital infrastructure, automated machinery to carry out the Agricultural activities as well as knowledge to grasp AI issues.

Knowledge on AI is truly one aspect that acts against quicker penetration of this all important ecosystem in both rural and marginalised communities in Southern Africa.

According to the Unesco-data only around three out of every 100 graduates across Sub-Saharan Africa earn a degree in the STEM field, severely constraining the AI pipeline.

Considering this, Southern African countries are encouraged to innovate by way of creating public–private partnerships for strengthening AI circular and reskilling workforce, akin to Egypt’s Knowledge City AI programme and Google’s AI Research Center in Ghana.

What is clear is that in Southern Africa urban schools particularly those for the haves can afford to teach STEM with easy as some subjects under STEM requires well equipped laboratories. This impacts negatively on equal proliferation of AI knowledge in communities, due to uneven STEM knowledge access.

The greatest challenge is that even though innovation is a powerful force that shapes economies and societies, yet it often tends to favour already developed communities, perpetuating divisions between the privileged and the marginalised.

This is despite the claims of addressing societal challenges, many innovators inadvertently neglect the needs of the most vulnerable population, focusing on those communities that can afford services.

There is really need to uplift the lives of the underprivileged as their lives matter even on issues of AI adoption. The other vital cog not to forget is the evident rural-urban divide prevalent in most Southern African countries. A lot of rural community dwellers do not own AI compatible gadgets like smartphones, computers connected to the internet and mostly rural areas in Southern African nations do not have electricity.

Computer literacy is another big challenge even to rural students.

Therefore, Southern African countries need to play a pivotal role in addressing the disparities attendant to access to AI in various communities of their countries, if AI discussions are meant to be treated seriously or be considered as something that benefit all Southern African communities.

This takes us to the issue of policy formulation. At the legislative front Southern African parliaments need to promote popular participation when drafting rules, regulations, standards, policies and legislation that govern AI.

In other words, there is need for a bottom up approach in the making of laws that govern the use of AI, as the laws have serious implications on their day-to-day survival of the Southern African people. This also takes cognisance of the fact that AI is going to drive most issues around production and education, including service delivery.

Hence the policies of this nature need to be holistic in nature to make sure that all persons understand the legislation enacted to support AI activities in each nation.

In other words, duty bearers like parliamentarians need a lot of orientation to ensure that they understand the essence and importance of AI laws in every country‘s development.

This also goes with members of the executive like cabinet ministers, who more often than not originate Bills that are debated in parliament.

They should receive adequate knowledge about AI through their technical teams like permanent secretaries or directors-general.

AI has become so important as all life is now heading towards it, be it in farming, education, hospitality industry, health and many other aspects of life.

In view of this, Southern African countries need to be prepared for this happening with informed preparedness. The regional trade like the Southern Africa and connectivity project must also be equipped with AI tools to improve business efficiency, automating manual tasks, enhance data analytics, and so on.

AI is an important game-changer in ensuring business efficacy, automating manual tasks and improving health delivery systems across the world and Southern Africa in particular.

However, Southern Africa needs to put in place legislative and economic strategies that can see AI dividends realised even by marginalised communities by way of penetration in all communities, of their countries.