The AI Skills and Compute Africa (AISCA) Foundation has launched in Kigali, aiming to address barriers to artificial intelligence (AI) innovation and strengthen Africa’s AI ecosystem.
Backed by seed funding from founding technology partner Cassava Technologies, the AISCA Foundation said it aims to bridge the “compute gap” by enabling African AI researchers and innovators to develop AI solutions locally while building a scalable talent pipeline across the continent.
Through the initiative, the foundation plans to provide equitable access to compute resources, skills development, research support and community-building programmes.
The organisation said it aims to create measurable continental impact, including helping transition one million young people into economic opportunities across the AI value chain.
AISCA also plans to award compute grants to 25,000 AI-focused innovators developing AI-enabled solutions, while providing compute resources and technical support to 10,000 AI researchers advancing research from the continent.
In addition, the foundation said it will work with universities, venture capital networks, governments, development agencies and private-sector partners to ensure AI innovation remains aligned with African priorities and accessible to local developers.
“Africa has the talent, ideas, and urgency to lead in applied AI. What has often been missing is access to compute, coordinated ecosystem support, contextualised data sets, and scalable pathways into dignified economic opportunities. AISCA Foundation is designed to help close those interconnected gaps,” said Isobel Acquah, CEO of the AISCA Foundation.
Speaking during a fireside discussion at the Kigali launch, Hardy Pemhiwa,Group CEO of Cassava Technologies, added: “While Cassava has invested millions of dollars in setting up AI infrastructure, supporting AISCA through enabling access to dedicated compute ensures that we are empowering African youth to utilise these rails to create localised value for their communities in practical and impactful ways.”
The organisations said the launch also reflects Rwanda’s growing position as a hub for digital transformation and frontier technologies in Africa.
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