The African Development Bank Group (AfDB), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) AI Hub for Sustainable Development, Google and Apolitical, has launched a free training programme to help public officials across Africa understand and use artificial intelligence (AI) in their work.
The initiative comes as African governments use AI to improve service delivery, optimise administrative efficiency and enhance governance systems.
The programme was launched on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The training is the first step in putting into practice the recommendations from a Bank Group report, Africa’s AI Productivity Gain: Pathways to Labour Efficiency, Economic Growth and Inclusive Transformation.
The report projected that inclusive AI deployment could add up to $1 trillion to Africa’s gross domestic product by 2035, and identified data, compute, skills, trust and capital as the five enablers needed to realise those gains.
Under Apolitical’s Government AI Campus initiative, participants will gain access to courses including AI Fundamentals for Public Servants: Opportunities, Risks and Strategies, AI Leadership in Government: Building Trust, Skills and an Innovative Culture and Smarter Procurement with AI.
The training courses have been developed by Stanford University Online and the SDA Bocconi School of Management. Google and Apolitical are providing the learning platform and content.
The AI Hub for Sustainable Development is a G7-endorsed initiative co-led by the UNDP and Italy’s Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, which aligns with the Mattei Plan for Africa, a €5.5 billion ($6.26 billion) strategic initiative launched by the Italian government in 2024 to build business and development partnerships with African countries, according to the bank.
Ousmane Fall, director of Industrial and Trade Development at the African Development Bank, said: “AI is changing how we work. It promises major productivity gains if users fully understand its application. Building that understanding in government has been neglected, and this partnership helps us put that right.”
Keyzom Ngodup Massally, director of the AI Hub for Sustainable Development and head of digital & AI Programmes at the United Nations Development Programme, added: “As the AI landscape continues to evolve, governments across Africa need timely support to strengthen the institutional and technical foundations required to participate meaningfully in the AI economy.”
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