Google Announces £29m Investment to Boost AI Development Across Africa

Google has announced a total investment of £29 million ($37 million) to support the growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across Africa. The funding, comprising new and previously unannounced contributions, will back AI research, skills development, local language support, infrastructure, and startup growth throughout the continent.

James Manyika, Google’s Senior Vice-President for Research, Labs, and Technology and Society, said in a statement, “Africa is home to some of the most important and inspiring work in AI today.”

He emphasised Google’s commitment to long-term investment, local partnerships, and empowering researchers and entrepreneurs to develop impactful AI solutions.

Strengthening Research and Language Inclusion

A major component of the funding is the AI Collaborative for Food Security, a multi-partner initiative launched with £19.7 million ($25 million) from Google.org. It aims to bring together researchers and non-profits to co-develop AI tools focused on early hunger detection, crop resilience, and tailored support for smallholder farmers.

“The goal is to help make food systems across Africa more adaptive, equitable, and resilient in the face of increasing climate and economic shocks,” Manyika added.

Google is also providing £2.4 million ($3 million) in funding to the Masakhane Research Foundation, an open research collective focused on AI tools for over 40 African languages. The funding will support the creation of high-quality datasets, translation models, and speech technologies that improve digital accessibility in native languages.

Supporting AI Startups and Innovation

To further drive innovation, Google is launching a catalytic funding platform for AI-driven startups. This initiative combines philanthropic support, venture investment, and Google’s technical expertise to help over 100 early-stage ventures scale solutions in key sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, and education.

Startups will also receive mentorship, technical guidance, and access to tools designed to foster responsible AI development.

Launch of AI Community Centre in Accra

A highlight of the announcement is the opening of the AI Community Centre in Accra, Ghana—the first of its kind in Africa. The centre will host training, events, and workshops focused on responsible AI development and innovation.

“The centre’s programming will span four pillars: AI literacy, community technology, social impact, and arts and culture,” said Manyika. “It will provide a platform for a diverse ecosystem of developers, students and creators to engage with AI in ways that are grounded in African priorities.”

Expanding AI and Digital Skills Training

To help meet rising demand for digital skills, Google is offering 100,000 fully funded Google Career Certificate scholarships to university students in Ghana. These flexible, self-paced programmes include AI Essentials, Prompting Essentials, and other in-demand fields such as IT Support, Data Analytics, and Cybersecurity.

Beyond Ghana, Google.org is committing an additional £5.5 million ($7 million) to support AI education initiatives in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. The funding will go towards academic institutions and non-profits building local AI curricula, online safety resources, and cybersecurity training.

Additionally, Google.org is awarding two new £780,000 ($1 million) grants to strengthen AI research across Africa. One will support applied AI research and training at the African Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AfriDSAI) at the University of Pretoria. The other will fund MSc and PhD research at the Wits Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery (MIND) Institute in South Africa.

Building for Africa, with Africa

Yossi Matias, Google’s Vice-President for Engineering and Research, added, “This new wave of support reflects our belief in the talent, creativity, and ingenuity across the continent.”

He noted that by working with local communities and institutions, Google is supporting solutions that are both grounded in African realities and designed for global impact.

Matias highlighted that these efforts build on Google’s existing work in Africa, including AI-powered maternal health dashboards in Ghana and Nigeria, wildfire alert systems in East Africa, and regional language model development in Accra and Nairobi.