Google Invests in Africa’s AI Future with Connectivity, Education, and Innovation Initiatives

Africa is home to the world’s largest youth population, projected to grow to over 830 million by 2050. This demographic shift presents a powerful opportunity, especially as artificial intelligence continues to transform industries and economies. At Google, we believe AI must be accessible to everyone—especially young Africans—to ensure that the benefits of technology are shared widely and equitably. My journey began as an engineering student in Zimbabwe, where a research project on neural networks opened my eyes to the transformative potential of AI. Since then, I’ve been committed to ensuring that AI serves all people, not just a few. At Google, we’re investing deeply in Africa’s future by strengthening connectivity, expanding access to AI products, and building local skills and innovation capacity. Connectivity is the foundation of digital progress. For years, Google has worked to improve internet access across Africa. Our 2006 investment in the Seacom cable was one of the first steps in a long-term vision. In 2021, we pledged $1 billion over five years—exceeded well ahead of schedule—with investments now surpassing $1 billion. These efforts have enabled 100 million Africans to connect to the internet for the first time. Today, we’re announcing four new subsea cable connectivity hubs across Africa—north, south, east, and west—creating new digital corridors within the continent and with the rest of the world. These hubs strengthen resilience, expand bandwidth, and support economic growth. This builds on our Africa Connect program, which includes the Google Cloud region in Johannesburg, the Equiano cable along Africa’s west coast, and Umoja—the first fiber route directly linking Africa to Australia through Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, DRC, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. The Equiano cable alone is expected to boost real GDP in Nigeria, South Africa, and Namibia by $11.1 billion, $5.8 billion, and $290 million respectively this year. We’ve also made Gemini available on Google Distributed Cloud, allowing entrepreneurs, governments, and developers across Africa to use advanced AI models securely and reliably. Empowering youth is central to our mission. That’s why we’re offering college students across Africa—starting in Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe—a free one-year subscription to Google Gemini AI Pro. With Deep Research, students can generate comprehensive reports from hundreds of sources. Expanded access to Gemini 2.5 Pro supports learning, coding, writing, and problem-solving, with Guided Learning acting as a personal study companion. We’re also focused on building AI skills. To date, we’ve trained 7 million Africans. By 2030, we aim to train 3 million more through programs for students, young people, and educators. Over the past four years, we’ve provided over $17 million in funding, curriculum, training, and access to advanced AI models to African universities and research institutions, with an additional $9 million planned for next year. Language is a key barrier to access. Last year, we added 110 new languages to Google Translate, including more than 30 African languages. We’re now expanding open datasets, evaluations, and voice models for over 40 African languages, with plans to reach 50 languages and release 24 open speech datasets by next year. Our AI research teams in Kenya and Ghana are already driving real-world impact—developing flood forecasting tools, Open Buildings data for urban planning, crop resilience models, and farmer support systems. By 2030, we aim to reach 500 million Africans with AI-powered solutions that address critical challenges in health, agriculture, education, and climate resilience. The future of innovation must be African-led. Google is committed to expanding connectivity, increasing access to AI tools, and nurturing local talent across the continent. We’re not stopping here—because when Africa thrives, the world benefits.