The African Development Bank Group (AfDB), together with the 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.
According to a statement, the programme was launched in New York on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly and is designed to strengthen the institutional and technical foundations needed for African governments to participate meaningfully in the AI economy.
Under Apolitical’s Government AI Campus initiative, participants will have 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 trainings have been developed by Stanford University Online and SDA Bocconi School of Management, while Google and Apolitical are providing the learning platform and content.
Ousmane Fall, the Bank Group’s Director for Industrial and Trade Development, said AI was changing how people work and could deliver major productivity gains if users fully understood its application.
“Building that understanding in government has been neglected and this partnership helps us put that right,” Fall said.
The training is the first step in putting into practice recommendations from an AfDB 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, while identifying skills and trusted governance among the five enablers needed to realise those gains.
The new programme therefore places skills development and public-sector capacity at the centre of efforts to capture the potential economic benefits of AI across the continent.
“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,” said Keyzom Ngodup Massally, Director of the AI Hub for Sustainable Development and UNDP Head of Digital & AI Programmes.
The AI Hub for Sustainable Development is a G7-endorsed initiative co-led by UNDP and Italy’s Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, and aligns with Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa. The African Development Bank Group is a founding member of the AI Hub’s Executive Steering Group.
Learning on the platform is self-paced, while enrolment is open and free of charge to serving government officials and public servants in the Bank’s regional member countries who are working on AI in public service delivery, digital infrastructure, public-private partnerships or innovation.
The statement added that learning on the platform is self-paced. Enrolment is open and free of charge to serving government officials and public servants in the Bank’s regional member countries who are working on AI in public service delivery, digital infrastructure, public-private partnerships or innovation. The application link is now open
