FRIDAY, 08 AUGUST 2025, 15:25
Itana, Africa’s first Digital Special Economic Zone, has unveiled the continent’s first full-stack growth zone for AI and data companies. The initiative aims to eliminate infrastructure barriers that prevent African startups from training large language models and storing data locally. The new zone will offer affordable GPU compute, compliant data storage, a pipeline of AI […]
OpenAI has signed a non-binding agreement with the UK government to explore how artificial intelligence can improve public services, including education, justice, and national security. The collaboration, announced by Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, aims to increase productivity and economic growth, and may involve access to government data and investment in AI infrastructure. OpenAI will also...
The AI for Good Impact Africa event will take place on 31 October 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa, alongside AI Expo Africa. Organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and supported by over 50 UN agencies, the event aims to foster collaboration and showcase AI solutions addressing global and regional challenges. As the second regional […]
Thabo Maibi, a former National University of Lesotho student and current PhD candidate at Stellenbosch University, has launched Career Agent, an AI-powered app that automates the job search process for users across Southern Africa. The app searches for jobs, matches listings to a user’s CV, checks Applicant Tracking System (ATS) compatibility scores, and can even […]
More than 80% of African countries are so far behind in artificial intelligence (AI) preparedness that they don’t even rank in global readiness categories, according to the Global AI Index. Only Egypt, Nigeria, and Kenya are considered “nascent,” while Morocco, South Africa, and Tunisia are “waking up.” By contrast, the United States and China remain […]
Experts at the Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPA) Conference have raised concerns that Africa risks inheriting harmful biases if artificial intelligence systems are built without local data. Speaking during a panel on data governance, MTN Nigeria’s Ikenna Ikeme warned that over-reliance on foreign-made AI tools could lead to inaccuracies and misaligned development outcomes. […]
Artificial intelligence may soon help food companies predict which flavors and textures will succeed with consumers, said AI expert and former Google DeepMind executive Steve Brown at the recent IFT First conference in Chicago. Brown noted that 80% of new food products fail. But with AI, “what if you could predict whether a formulation was […]
WeBuyCars has deployed an AI system called “Blue” to autonomously purchase second-hand vehicles—marking a significant step in the company’s digital transformation strategy. The system, which requires no human input, has already bought more than 2,800 cars. “Blue is a collection of machine learning models that incorporates our pricing models, historic sales data, market trends, and […]
The Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) has taken a major step forward by integrating with United Bank for Africa’s AI chatbot, LEO, to facilitate instant cross-border payments in local currencies. This marks the first time PAPSS has been integrated with a conversational AI platform in Africa, enabling UBA customers to send and receive funds […]
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has successfully completed its 2025 Auto Assessment period, using artificial intelligence to evaluate 5.8 million taxpayers—up from 5 million in 2024. Of those auto-assessed, 99.6% accepted the results unchanged, reflecting strong system accuracy. SARS disbursed R10.6 billion in refunds within 72 hours. The AI-driven process relies on third-party data […]
Do you work well with AI? As tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot and other generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems become part of everyday workflows, more companies are looking for employees who can answer “yes” to this question. In other words, people who can prompt effectively, think with AI, and use it to boost productivity. Read: AI powers Sars […]
Netflix has used generative artificial intelligence (AI) to create visual effects in an original TV series for the first time, co-CEO Ted Sarandos confirmed. The streaming giant deployed AI to produce a building collapse scene in the Argentine sci-fi drama The Eternaut. Sarandos said the technology allowed the team to complete the sequence 10 times […]
South African ISP Touchnet, in partnership with global cloud provider Zadara, has launched a sovereign AI cloud infrastructure at Digital Parks Africa’s Tier III-certified data center in Samrand, Gauteng. The development marks a major step in strengthening South Africa’s digital and artificial intelligence capabilities. The GPU-powered cloud platform is designed to handle compute-intensive...
South Africa’s Legal Practice Council (LPC) is developing an AI policy to regulate how lawyers use artificial intelligence, following two recent court cases where fabricated case law—generated by AI tools—was submitted as precedent. The cases, Mavundlela v. KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Northbound Processing v. SA Diamond Regulator, were referred to the LPC after […]
South Africa may lose top AI talent to global markets due to weak local demand for homegrown technology, warns Dr. Vukosi Marivate, professor of computer science at the University of Pretoria and co-founder of Lelapa AI. Despite the country’s ranking among the top 13 globally in AI compute capacity, Marivate says South Africa lacks the […]
In a strong show of South-South cooperation, Algeria and South Africa have signed new bilateral agreements to deepen their strategic academic and scientific partnership. The agreements were finalized during the visit of South African Higher Education Minister Prof. Blade Nzimande to Algeria. Accompanied by a high-level delegation, Nzimande toured the University of Saad Dahleb Blida […]
The government of Côte d’Ivoire has signed two non-binding memoranda of understanding with G42 Presight, a UAE-based tech company specializing in AI and big data, to support public sector digitalization and national strategy development. The agreements were signed on the sidelines of the Ivoire Tech Forum, held in Abidjan from July 9–11. The first MoU, […]
Côte d’Ivoire has launched a 450 billion CFA franc ($800 million) initiative to accelerate tech innovation and expand its startup ecosystem. The announcement was made by Minister of Digital Transition and Digitalisation Ibrahim Kalil Konaté at the Ivoire Tech Forum 2025 in Abidjan. The initiative is part of the country’s broader digital transformation agenda and […]
The African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) has launched a new Artificial Intelligence Institute to promote responsible AI innovation, strengthen policy development, and build technical capacity across Africa. Launched virtually, the institute aims to align with the African Union’s Continental AI Strategy, supporting AU member states in designing national AI policies, developing AI tools...
Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago warned at the third G20 Finance Ministers and Central Banks Governors meeting in Zimbali, KwaZulu-Natal, that while AI and rapid technological change can spur productivity and lift living standards, they also risk deepening inequality if not managed carefully. “AI represents a significant turning point in the global economic landscape,” Kganyago […]
South Africa has invested R484 million over four years in AI, blockchain, and related technologies to build foundational digital capabilities in the public sector, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Blade Nzimande confirmed in response to a parliamentary question. The funding supports the Foundational Digital Capabilities Research (FDCR) platform and the Centre for Artificial...