Africa24 TV
Faced with persistent educational challenges, Artificial Intelligence is emerging as a powerful driver of transformation across Africa. The African Union has made it a strategic priority to ensure its ethical and equitable use. In a context where 97.5 million children remain out of school, AI offers the potential to personalize learning, ease teachers’ workloads, and improve access to educational content, particularly in rural areas.
“It is difficult to understand how a school today could fail to teach the use of tools that students are already using in their daily lives. Once they enter the professional world, companies expect employees to be able to use artificial intelligence tools to generate ideas, improve efficiency, and create value. This requires knowing how to interact with AI, ask the right questions, and master prompt-writing techniques.”
Jalal Charaf, Chief Digital Officer, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University – Morocco
However, integrating Artificial Intelligence into African schools faces significant challenges. The digital divide remains a major obstacle: only 40% of primary schools and 50% of lower secondary schools have sufficient Internet connectivity. This is compounded by limited access to electricity, computer equipment, and teacher training in many regions.
“Nigeria’s current technological revolution is largely driven by software, but the next phase will be powered by software, hardware, artificial intelligence, robotics, and the Internet of Things. Young people will be the main drivers of this transformation. We want to demonstrate the full power and potential of this approach and how it can help Africa address its development challenges.”
Kelechi Uchema, Technology Entrepreneur – Nigeria
Despite these challenges, the transition is underway and the race for tomorrow’s talent has begun. South Africa, Tunisia, Egypt, Mauritius, and Rwanda are leading the way by already integrating robotics and digital technologies into their school curricula. The objective is strategic: preparing young people for emerging careers in cybersecurity, data analytics, and software development.
“That is why it is essential to train as many people as possible and make these technologies accessible to everyone. This is a global issue, but it is particularly important for Africa, which must fully participate in this transformation.”
Jalal Charaf, Chief Digital Officer, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University – Morocco
The stakes are considerable: Artificial Intelligence could generate between USD 2.9 billion and USD 4.8 billion in economic value across the continent by 2030. According to experts, the priority now is to adapt educational programs so that young Africans become not only consumers of these technologies, but also their creators and innovators, shaping the world of tomorrow.
Leave a Reply