Google to open AI hub in Zambia, Malawi plans Smart Village Initiative

African countries are working towards digital transformation targets and partnering with international companies to assist in those goals.

Firstly, tech giant Google and the Zambian government are partnering to set up an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center of Excellence at the University of Zambia (UNZA).

Meanwhile, Malawi has partnered with Chinese multinational Huawei to develop a Smart Village Initiative.

According to the Zambian Ministry of Technology and Science's Facebook page, the AI Center comes after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the two parties in June.

Technology and Science Minister Felix Mutati claimed that the AI Center of Excellence will be the first of its kind in Southern Africa and will be housed at the Zambia Research and Education Network (ZAMREN) within UNZA.

After touring the newly built ZAMREN House in Lusaka, Mutati said that the Center of Excellence will allow young innovators to find solutions to the pressing challenges Zambia is facing.

"Young people will be coming here to create products and solutions from their ideas that can help us alleviate certain problems," Mutati added.

Having already connected 150 institutions in Zambia to high-speed Internet, ZAMREN will play a pivotal role in supporting the AI center.

Mutati highlighted that many training institutes benefit from ZAMREN's services, providing students with free Internet access for research.

Malawi to launch Smart Village Initiative

Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera outlined the country's Smart Village Initiative plans at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit, a diplomatic event hosted by China to bolster relations with African nations.

Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit. (Source: Malawi Government)

The initiative seeks to bring digital transformation to rural areas across the country, improving connectivity and access to digital services.

Chakwera said that his administration is eager to collaborate with Huawei on various aspects of the Smart Village Initiative for rural communities.

The partnership will include establishing technical training centers in rural areas, he said, to provide young people with necessary digital skills such as AI, cybersecurity and smart agriculture solutions.

This is the second partnership that Huawei has been involved in over the past few days.

Earlier this week, the Chinese company signed a deal with Sierra Leone to support the country's Digital Village Project.

— Matshepo Sehloho, Associate Editor, Connecting Africa