Kigali hosts historic gathering as Global AI Summit on Africa officially opens
Date: 2025-04-03
The inaugural Global AI Summit on Africa commenced today at the Kigali Convention Center (KCC), bringing together continental leaders and technology experts to chart Africa’s artificial intelligence future. Rwandan President Paul Kagame presided over the opening ceremony alongside Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé, Djibouti’s Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, and African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat.
The high-profile gathering of over 1,700 policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers marks Africa’s most significant collective effort to establish continental AI governance frameworks while harnessing the technology’s developmental potential. President Kagame outlined three critical priorities in his opening address: “Our focus must be infrastructure development, workforce upskilling, and harmonized AI governance to ensure inclusive benefits.”
Rwanda’s
Minister of ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire highlighted the country’s proven
capacity to create enabling regulatory environments during a panel discussion.
The sentiment was echoed by Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation
and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, who noted, “AI and Africa share
youthful potential – both demand our strategic investment.”
A major
announcement came from African tech pioneer Strive Masiyiwa, revealing a
landmark agreement with NVIDIA to deliver 3,000 GPUs to the continent, with an
additional 10,000 units planned – infrastructure critical for developing local
AI research capabilities.
The summit’s first day established consensus around avoiding fragmented national approaches to AI regulation, with Togo’s President Gnassingbé emphasizing, “Africa must ensure AI innovation benefits all citizens, not just privileged groups.” Discussions highlighted successful case studies where African-developed AI solutions are transforming healthcare diagnostics, agricultural productivity, and financial inclusion.
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
