AFRICA PARTNERS WITH RUSSIA FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Written by Michael Thervil

2025 Global Digital Forum | Nizhny Novgorod, Russia Photo by Sputnik

[Africa Russia Artificial Intelligence] While China is certainly leading the way when it comes to advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), several African countries are now turning to the east when it comes to the development and use of AI for their countries as well. but instead of turning directly to China, African nations are starting to turn towards Russia for their AI needs. African countries such as Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique seem to be fueling the demand for Russian AI tools and systems.

The Global Digital Forum which was held last week in Russia for two days (June 5th-6th) in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, featured 2,837 IT experts, had roughly 117 agreements and memorandums signed, with 170 companies participating, with 114 countries participating. of those 114 countries in attendance, African countries sought to strengthen their technological ties with Russia the most.

With African countries pushing for the application and embracing AI more each year, Africa's thirst for both technological equality and the opportunity to be a world leader in innovations pertaining to AI have been coming to the forefront; therefore, the drive for AI integration and the overall digital transformation of African countries are prevalent. Other African countries such as the Republic of Congo, Niger, Cameroon, Malawi, Comoros, Somalia, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Senegal also attended the and pushed for greater AI integration in their respective countries.

One of the things that Africa seems to be lagging in when it comes to the creation and wide-scale implementation of AI systems and networks is the infrastructure and energy production requirements needed to sustain it. Also, Africa is in dire need of people within their respective countries who have the educational requirements and working knowledge of how AI operates to drive the necessary growth and development of AI to be used in their countries. It seems that Africa has somewhat of a way to go when it comes to fully implementing AI, but it's not that far off as with help from Russia and down the line China can help solve many of the technological and infrastructural barriers that African countries possess.

For Africa this is just somewhat the beginning, but it’s a beautiful one that needs to be cultivated and steered in the best direction. With Africa fostering greater ties with Russia, this appears to be a winning recipe for all African nations.