Africa must build homegrown artificial intelligence systems tailored to daily local realities rather than relying on imported technologies, according to Girmaw Abebe Tadesse, an expert on the UN-backed Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence, who spoke in Nairobi during UN High-Level Week.
Solving Local Realities Before Choosing Technology
As world leaders, policy experts, and technology executives gathered at UN Headquarters in New York for High-Level Week, discussions zeroed in on how to safely manage frontier technology. For developing nations, however, the immediate hurdle is not just safety—it is relevance.
Girmaw Abebe Tadesse, who leads Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab in Kenya alongside his role on the UN-backed Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence, argued that African nations need a problem-first methodology. In an exclusive interview in Nairobi, he outlined a step-by-step strategy for the continent’s digital evolution.
We are trying to bring the reality of our environment and integrate AI technology with the local problems we face.
Girmaw Abebe Tadesse, expert member of the UN-backed Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence and head of Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab in Kenya, via UN News and Mirage News
Only after identifying these everyday challenges should nations assess the specific infrastructure, technology, and data needed to build viable solutions.
Collaboration Across Sectors and Limited Resources
Deploying advanced technology across resource-constrained environments requires wide-ranging partnerships. Tadesse emphasized that governments cannot tackle the transition alone. Success depends on drawing together higher education institutions, development partners, creative communities, and technology companies.
Practical implementations are already taking shape. Programs like the Digital Villages Initiative illustrate how digital systems can drive agricultural development across the continent, pointing to the tangible benefits of targeted technological integration highlighted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Harnessing Youth Innovation and Avoiding Duplication
Africa holds a distinct demographic advantage: a rapidly growing technology sector paired with a massive population of young people. This combination positions the continent as a prospective global hub for innovation, drawing active interest from investors and development partners alike.
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Yet, enthusiasm alone will not prevent wasted effort. Tadesse warned that fragmented efforts risk repeating work already completed elsewhere, urging a sharp pivot toward continental cooperation.
There is a need for African countries to collaborate more, share experiences and learn from each other’s successes instead of each starting from scratch. If we work together, the future is bright.
Girmaw Abebe Tadesse, expert member of the UN-backed Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence and head of Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab in Kenya, via UN News and Mirage News
As artificial intelligence adoption accelerates across education, health, agriculture, business, and public services, the long-term viability of these tools depends on setting shared regional priorities based directly on what citizens need.