AI News Monitor

ACCRA, Ghana — In a modest digital lab in Accra’s Chorkor neighborhood, young Ghanaians are tapping on keyboards, many for the first time. The lesson is about basic digital literacy, but the ambition behind it is part of a much larger, continent-wide experiment: preparing Africa’s enormous youth population for a future shaped by artificial intelligence.

“Technology is the future. This is where the jobs are,” said Patricia Wilkins, an American social entrepreneur whose organization, Basics International, runs the lab. Her sentiment is echoed by a growing chorus of educators, tech experts and government officials across Africa who see A.I. not just as a tool, but as a critical lever for economic development.

The recent convening of over 1,500 experts in Accra for a conference on A.I. in education highlighted both the fervent optimism and deep-seated anxieties surrounding this technological wave. The goal, participants said, is to systematically integrate A.I. into educational systems to “unlock opportunities” for the millions of young people entering the workforce each year.

“We are looking at technological tools that we are using to solve problems in the education environment,” said Gideon Owusu Agyemang of the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Center of Excellence in ICT, pointing to intelligent tutoring systems and tools that personalize learning.

Yet, alongside the promise are profound concerns about control and sovereignty. In speeches and interviews, a recurring theme was the fear of a new form of technological dependency.

“A.I. solutions must not be built for Africa by non-Africans lest it becomes digital colonization again,” warned Ghana’s Communications Minister, Sam George, emphasizing the need for A.I. that reflects African values and serves local development goals.

This push for what advocates term “digital sovereignty” comes as global powers compete for influence in the A.I. sphere. The caution is shared by figures like Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, a former Ghanaian education minister, who raised an alarm about the continent’s preparedness. “Many of us are asleep,” he said. “We are in a brave new world where those who build machines are getting ready to control the world.”

The path forward, experts argue, requires deliberate policy. Deborah Asmah, CEO of the A.I. firm Npontu Technologies, stressed that specific government policies are needed to move from discussion to actual implementation. Ghana is currently developing such a framework.

Proponents envision A.I. as a catalyst for sustainable development, optimizing resources and enabling data-driven solutions to challenges in health, agriculture and climate. “Africa is not a bystander; you are the disrupters,” said Amir Dossal, a former United Nations undersecretary-general, addressing the Accra conference. “Africa has the power to change dynamics by leapfrogging… and can rewrite the rules of global A.I.”

Back in the Chorkor lab, students like IT learner Emmanuel Dwamena Tenkorang are already looking ahead. “It has been inspirational,” he said of his classes. For Africa’s leaders, the pressing task is to ensure that inspiration is met with infrastructure, investment and a fiercely guarded autonomy, turning today’s digital literacy lessons into tomorrow’s homegrown innovation.