Google President of EMEA Matt Brittin has announced a $5.8 million ( Sh 748 million) in Google.org funding to support foundational AI and cybersecurity training across Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.
The funding aims to support organisations providing foundational AI skills to workers, equipping them for the digital economy; educate teenagers about AI and its safe and ethical use as well as empowering future generations.
It also seeks to equip non-profit leaders with AI knowledge to enhance their impact and drive social change as well as support the public sector to develop and utilise AI solutions.
The funding recipients include:
- Data Scientists Network Foundation will be provided with a $1.5 million grant to create a program that trains unemployed and at risk Nigerians in foundational digital and tech training, with the long term goal of building advanced skills in data and AI.
- Nelson Mandela University and other universities will participate in the Google.org Cybersecurity Seminars program, which includes $500,000 in grant support alongside course content and extensive training. The goal is to help 200 students learn hands-on cybersecurity skills while also supporting the digital defences of 250 local organisations.
- Raspberry Pi Foundation, who will provide $300,000 to the Young Scientists Kenya and Data Scientists Network Foundation to roll out AI literacy education for Kenyan and Nigerian youth.
The announcement came about Brittin’s visit to Kenya and Nigeria.
Speaking in Nairobi, Brittin said AI could contribute $30 billion to the economy of sub-Saharan Africa but for this to be a meaningful change, everyone needs to be included.
“The $5.8 million announced today will help bring people, businesses and nonprofits along to take part in harnessing technology for good,” he said.
Google.org head of tech and volunteering Jen Carter further noted that we have seen how AI can help social impact organisations accelerate and scale their work.
“The funding announced today will help organisations to create AI tools that will benefit not only communities across Africa but across the globe,” Carter said.
Google.org also provided funding to help organisations supporting local businesses, nonprofits and entrepreneurs.
Through the Google AI Impact Challenge, Google.org funded the AirQo project, which uses AI to measure and tackle air pollution across Africa.
Additionally, Google.org is supporting Jacaranda Health, through a $1.4 million grant and fellowship, to advance PROMPTS, their AI-enabled support tool which provides personalised SMS advice to new and expecting mothers across Kenya.
This new funding builds on Google.org’s $20 million support for organisations helping Africans develop digital skills from Google’s economic opportunity initiative.
In addition, Grow with Google, which is separate from Google.org, has trained over 6.5 million people across Africa, in 2023 alone, in digital skills to help them build their career or business.
Google has also affirmed its commitment to supporting Africa’s fast-growing developer system.
There are nearly 716,000 professional developers across Africa, and Google’s own study showed that half of them have been part of a Google program.
Google Africa MD Alex Okosi said that ever since the opening of Google’s first office in Sub-Saharan Africa, the tech giant has been working hand in hand with governments, educational bodies and entrepreneurs adding that digital skilling and access has been a key part of that work.
“We’ve enabled hundreds of millions of Africans to access the internet for the first time and empowered millions of businesses and creators with digital tools,” he said.
“Many of them are young, entrepreneurial and creative; ready to drive new innovation and opportunity across the region.”
In 2018, Google opened an AI Research Centre in Accra, Ghana and in 2022, it unveiled a Product Development Center in Nairobi, Kenya.
In both offices, teams use the power of AI to solve problems across the continent and around the world.
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