Although AI’s emergence has been quite slow in Africa compared to other regions such as Asia and North America, this does not mean that the innovative technology did not show a few glimpses of transformation.
By Michael Akuchie
Just like in 2021, when “metaverse” became a buzzword following the decision of social media giant Facebook to rebrand as Meta, 2023 is regarded as the period of heightened awareness of artificial intelligence (AI) on social media and the Internet.
This shift was driven by the emergence of AI-powered solutions, such as ChatGPT, which were not only user-friendly but also significantly enhanced users’ productivity and creative processes.
It is no surprise that companies and governments have begun investing heavily in AI-powered systems to transform their service delivery to consumers and citizens. As of 2024, the global AI market grew from $136 billion in 2023 to $184 billion, marking an astronomical increase of over $50 billion.
Although AI’s adoption has been relatively slow in Africa compared to other regions such as Asia and North America, this does not mean the innovative technology failed to demonstrate transformative potential on the continent. This article highlights the sectors in Africa where AI’s impact has been most evident.
Healthcare
Compared to other continents, healthcare delivery in Africa is still far from being described as “excellent.” There are endless accounts of ill-equipped primary healthcare centres and reports of erratic power supply affecting critical areas of hospitals, such as emergency wards and operating rooms, particularly in countries like Nigeria.
So, what exactly did AI do in 2024 to make healthcare access slightly easier?
This year, there was a greater emphasis on making telemedicine services more accessible to patients. By leveraging AI algorithms, physicians were able to improve the remote monitoring of patient data and make more informed decisions.
In Botswana, for instance, Health E-Net, a company committed to enhancing patient care through AI-powered solutions, stood out. Health E-Net developed a tool called PaperEMR, which allows clients, including healthcare workers, to digitise health information collected from patients on paper.
This innovation has made the process of gathering and managing patient information far more efficient.
Agriculture
Agriculture remains one of Africa’s most vital sectors, with the potential not only to feed its population but also to provide employment for skilled workers. In an article published on Proshare discussing the growing importance of agriculture, the sector is identified as a key driver of the region’s future economic transformation.
The article further asserts that, through meaningful investments in agriculture, Africa can significantly boost its GDP, reduce inflation, and achieve much more.
Weed management has been a significant challenge for African farmers, primarily due to the rising cost of pesticides, limited knowledge of best weed control practices, and other factors. With yield losses ranging from 25% to 100% caused by weeds, Africa’s food security faces growing threats from this issue.
Fortunately, countries such as Rwanda and Ghana have started implementing AI-driven solutions to improve yields each farming season. In Rwanda, AI-powered drones are being deployed to track and monitor weed infestations on farms.
What’s more, these drones utilise AI algorithms to apply precise amounts of herbicide, reducing the risk of overloading the soil with chemicals. In Ghana, similar efforts are being made through AI-powered real-time monitoring systems to expand the variety and quantity of crops successfully cultivated.
Financial Inclusion
According to a World Bank report, over 80 million adults in Africa still prefer to receive payments for supplying agricultural produce in cash rather than through bank transfers or mobile money.
Many startups operating in Africa today have pledged to improve financial inclusion for unbanked individuals by providing access to financial services. This is despite significant challenges, such as inadequate road networks that hinder easy access to banks and poor internet connectivity that disrupts efforts to conduct transactions via mobile phones.
Through mobile money services, which function even on feature phones using cellular networks as low as 2G, many Africans can now transact with ease.
To enhance service delivery, startups have introduced innovative AI-driven strategies. In Sierra Leone, Mosabi, a fintech startup, aims to tackle the significant challenges faced by small-scale businesses and informal traders in accessing loans from banks.
Through a tech solution named Mosabi, users gain practical knowledge about entrepreneurship via gamification elements such as quizzes and surveys. By making learning engaging and rewarding, particularly for those with limited literacy, Mosabi is changing the narrative and better preparing individuals to increase their chances of securing conventional business loans.
Education
Despite being home to the youngest population in the world, Sub-Saharan Africa still has the highest number of out-of-school children. According to the United Nations Institute for Statistics, nearly 60% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s youth aged between 15 and 17 are not in school.
Factors such as insecurity, ill-equipped schools, poor teaching quality, and others have contributed to the rising rates of school dropouts across the continent.
Various edtech startups and nonprofit initiatives have sought to increase access to quality education by overcoming obstacles such as language diversity and limited teaching resources. For example, Opportunity International, a nonprofit organisation, developed a mobile app that can significantly enhance the quality of teaching in rural areas.
In Ghana, one of the apps is designed to help teachers create lesson plans tailored to their students’ needs. By inputting details about their students’ diverse learning patterns, the app, using the national school curriculum, generates the most effective lesson plans.
The pilot locations for the project are classrooms in Ghana and Uganda, though it is expected that the program will be extended to other African countries if the pilot initiative succeeds.
Climate Action and Disaster Management
Like the rest of the world, Africa is beginning to feel the impact of climate change, according to a Business Africa report. The report reveals that several African countries lose between 2% and 5% of their annual GDP to extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, and floods.
Fortunately, efforts are underway to mitigate the effects of climate change on Africa, boosting its prospects for economic growth. In Burundi, Chad, and Sudan, the IKI Project—a funding programme developed by the German government to support climate action in emerging economies—is helping these countries prepare for extreme weather events.
Using AI-powered technology, the IKI Project helps the countries mentioned above study and forecast weather patterns. By gaining a clearer understanding of upcoming weather conditions, these nations can develop strategies to minimise the destructive effects of extreme weather.
Such strategies include expanding access to solar energy, promoting the establishment of effective waste management systems, and implementing more forward-thinking initiatives.
Michael Akuchie is a tech journalist with five years of experience covering cybersecurity, AI, automotive trends, and startups. He reads human-angle stories in his spare time. He’s on X (fka Twitter) as @Michael_Akuchie & michael_akuchie on Instagram.
Cover photo credit: Business Insider Africa