By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
African innovators and young
technology entrepreneurs earned global recognition at the AI for Good Global
Summit 2026 in Geneva, with Nigerian startups and student teams emerging among
the standout performers during the international event.
Founder and Executive
Chairman of Econet Group, Strive Masiyiwa, congratulated the participants from
across Africa, highlighting the achievements of Nigerian fintech entrepreneur
Victor Daniyan, whose AI-driven startup, Nearpays, won the grand prize at the
AI for Good Innovation Factory competition. The victory marks the first time an
African AI-powered startup has secured the competition's top award.
Masiyiwa also commended the
finalists and the panel of judges, including musician, entrepreneur and
philanthropist will.i.am, who announced additional prize funding for the
competition's winner and two other finalists during the awards ceremony.
Another Nigerian success
came from the Rising Hope Girls Educational Foundation, which received the AI
for People Award at the AI for Good Impact Awards 2026 for its AI-powered
literacy application, ReadBuddy. The application was recognised for its contribution
to improving literacy through artificial intelligence.
Nigeria also featured
prominently in the Robotics for Good Youth Challenge, where the country's
"Bright Stars" team competed in the junior category alongside student
teams from 50 countries. The competition challenged participants aged between 10
and 18 to design, build and programme open-source robots capable of addressing
food security challenges. Teams from Venezuela ultimately claimed the top
prizes in both the junior and senior categories.
The AI for Good Global
Summit attracted participants from more than 170 countries, bringing together
governments, technology companies, innovators, researchers and young
entrepreneurs to showcase AI-driven solutions addressing global development
challenges.
Masiyiwa praised all African
participants who qualified for the global competitions, describing them as part
of a new generation of innovators developing practical artificial intelligence
solutions to improve lives and address societal challenges.
He also noted that he was
honoured to serve on the newly established AI for Good Global Commission, which
was launched during the summit to help advance international collaboration on
responsible and inclusive artificial intelligence.
