Africa Urged to Bridge AI Infrastructure Gap

A new report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) emphasizes the urgent need for Africa to address its Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure gap to prevent increased reliance on foreign digital systems. The report, titled ‘Advancing Africa’s AI and Digital Economy’, outlines three critical priorities: building digital infrastructure, scaling shared investment models, and accelerating open-source innovation.

Despite representing 18% of the global population, Africa holds less than 1% of global data center capacity, with its digital economy contributing only 5% to GDP, compared to a 15% global average. BCG Managing Director Hamid Maher stated that Africa's challenge lies in tech production rather than adoption, highlighting the continent's potential due to its young population and growing cloud market.

BCG Senior Partner Patrick Dupoux noted the importance of establishing strong domestic tech ecosystems as AI and robotics disrupt traditional sectors. The report warns that Africa risks exporting raw data and incurring high costs to acquire technology, stressing the need for local value retention.