By: Van Soul Addey
Artificial
intelligence is now part of almost every major conversation about Africa’s
future. Those conversations, whether at conferences, in boardrooms or among
policymakers, matter. The continent needs policies that protect people,
encourage responsible innovation and create the right conditions for investment
and growth.
But Africa’s AI
future cannot be built through policy and conversation alone.
It must also be
built in classrooms and communities, where children are allowed
to experiment, solve problems and create with technology.
AI is
practical. Its value will ultimately be measured by the problems it helps us
solve: improving healthcare, strengthening education, supporting farmers,
expanding financial inclusion and making everyday life better.
A child
learning to code today may not be building an AI solution yet. But that child
is learning how to think logically, test an idea, learn from failure and try
again. Coding helps develop the curiosity, creativity and problem-solving
skills needed to understand AI and eventually apply it to real challenges.
Africa’s AI
future therefore requires both good policy and practical preparation.
Governments must create the enabling environment. Educators must nurture
curiosity. Businesses must invest in connectivity, access and skills. Young
people must then be given the opportunity to build.
Pan-African
companies such as Telecel are helping to create that opportunity. Through
Startocode, Telecel is introducing young people to coding and digital
problem-solving. This hands-on experience matters. It moves learning beyond
drawing computers on chalkboards and gives children the opportunity to work
with technology, test their ideas and discover what they can create.
Africa’s
children should not only hear about the future in conference rooms. They should
have the skills, tools and opportunity to build it.
