Along with the rest of the world, Africa is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to crunch large datasets, boost productivity, improve customer relations and even save lives.
Africa is harnessing AI power to reshape industries and communities. The benefits AI is expected to bring to the world are enormous. If Africa captures just 10% of the global AI market, this would contribute a whopping $1.5 trillion (R27 trillion) to its economy by 2030. This estimate comes from multinational enterprise applications and business AI company SAP. To achieve this, African countries need to develop the requisite skills and infrastructure.
AI-related infrastructure deficits
Africa is not alone in this effort. Significant AI skills and infrastructure gaps exist even in developed economies. The United States relies on immigrant talent to sustain its AI workforce, reports the Institute for Progress, a US think tank.
Similarly, the European Parliament notes that nearly half of the European Union’s population lack basic digital competencies.
Both the US and Europe also face substantial AI-related infrastructure deficits. These include insufficient computing power, data centres and other network infrastructure. This shortage is especially critical for advanced generative AI. (Generative AI creates content such as text, images or code by learning patterns from existing data).
Africa’s gen AI opportunity
The good news is that South Africa is rapidly emerging as a leader in adopting and innovating generative AI. The insurance sector, in particular, is pushing the boundaries of this technology. It uses voice bots to enhance call centres and streamline claims processes. It also executes hyper-personalised customer engagement and sales campaigns, reports business management consultancy McKinsey.
Even better, generative AI is saving lives. In South Africa and Uganda, AI-augmented portable X-ray machines deliver faster tuberculosis test turnaround times and more accurate diagnoses.
Generative AI is also improving communication in the fight against financial crime. For example, we have developed a platform that consolidates information on financial crimes. The platform translates documents into four languages for the Nairobi-based organisation Tax Justice Network Africa.
The network’s Tax and Illicit Financial Flows Knowledge Hub also benefits from AI. It enables near-instant translation of documents uploaded to the hub, thereby boosting access to resources, influencing policy and fostering strategic partnerships.
Using AI to focus on language diversity
We use DeepL Translator, a third-party AI service known for high-quality translations. We connected it via a custom Craft CMS plug-in built by our developer Zach van der Westhuizen. The plug-in reads uploaded PDF documents, detects the language and then uses DeepL to translate the content into English, French, Portuguese and Arabic.
It is estimated that Africa is home to as many as 2,000 languages. Therefore, it is not surprising that a company is using AI to focus on language diversity. Intron, based in Lagos, Nigeria, is developing the Sahara voice AI suite. It is designed to understand more than 20 African languages and diverse African accents. While the company began in the health sector, it is expanding into finance, telecommunications, and even courts.
One notable service from Intron is AI-powered transcription for courtrooms. The Ogun State Judiciary has already adopted Intron’s speech-to-text system. This technology has significantly reduced the time it takes to document legal proceedings, cutting a four-hour process down to two or three hours. Africa is harnessing AI power not only in business but also in critical public services.
Challenges
AI’s uses are multifaceted, yet they are not without pitfalls. Its use must be carefully considered and vetted by humans. After all, AI is only as good as the information it consumes. Since it draws from the entire internet, this includes misguided or patently wrong information.
Another challenge is that generative AI often “hallucinates” if it does not know the answer to a question. Because it predicts the most likely next word in a sentence, it sometimes fabricates plausible answers. A study published by Apple in June 2025 highlights this problem. It describes generative AI’s “complete accuracy collapse” when handling complex reasoning tasks, even when provided with explicit solution algorithms.
The Tax and Illicit Financial Flows Knowledge Hub has addressed the accuracy and misinformation challenge. The hub includes a human administrator in the process. Once a document is uploaded, which can only be done by signed-up Tax Justice Network Africa members, the administrator is alerted. If approved, the document goes into translation, making the information available to a far wider audience.
In conclusion
While concerns about AI’s accuracy are a global issue, the biggest hurdles preventing Africa from fully benefiting from the AI boom remain skills and infrastructure. Across the world, 
the pace of AI development and its widespread adoption are creating massive opportunities for individuals and governments.
Africa’s distinct advantages include its youthful population and its proven ability for technological leapfrogging.
For instance, Africa’s massive shift to mobile communications technology has completely overtaken the gap left by limited fixed-line internet services. Africa is harnessing AI power to continue this tradition of leapfrogging into the future.
Richard Frank | CTO | Flow Communications | mail me |
