Across Africa, communities are reimagining how AI can solve problems that matter. From climate resilience and agriculture to healthcare, education and local language access, the continent is already home to some of the most exciting work shaping the future of Research and AI.
With a young, fast-growing population and a culture of creative problem-solving, Africa brings essential perspectives to a technology that is rapidly reshaping the world. As AI continues to evolve, it is critical that African researchers, like our Google Research teams in Kenya and Ghana, developers, and organizations are equipped to lead.
That’s why this moment, driven by the continent’s growing AI momentum, is so important — and why Google is deepening our commitment to Africa’s AI future. Today in Accra, we announced a wave of AI support across Africa, representing $37 million in cumulative contributions — including previously committed but unannounced funding — to research, talent development, and infrastructure.
Advancing Research with African Context and Global Reach
At the heart of our new efforts is the AI Community Center in Accra. This space will serve as a hub for learning, experimentation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. It will host technical workshops, research exchanges, and community events that bring together students, developers, entrepreneurs, artists, and civil society to explore how AI can respond to African needs.
Impactful research starts with the communities it seeks to serve. Our latest initiatives, including $25 million from Google.org toward the AI Collaborative: Food Security, will help further that. This effort supports African researchers and nonprofits developing AI tools that improve hunger forecasting, strengthen crop resilience, and support smallholder farmers with real-time, actionable insights.
Language inclusion is also central to responsible AI development. Google.org is supporting the Masakhane African Languages AI Hub with $3 million to expand research and open-source tools across more than 40 African languages. By creating datasets, translation models, and voice technologies, this work is helping ensure that African languages are represented in the digital world.
To further strengthen the research ecosystem, we’re awarding $1 million each in research funding to two leading academic institutions advancing AI from Africa — the African Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AfriDSAI) at the University of Pretoria and the Wits MIND Institute. These grants will support graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, expanding local capacity to contribute to and shape global AI development.