The Gates Foundation signed a three-year, $7.5 million partnership to scale artificial intelligence innovations in Rwanda, on the sidelines of the recent Global AI Summit on Africa.
While the injection of money is welcome, it’s a far cry from what’s needed, Devex contributor Anthony Langat writes. In the second quarter of 2024, for instance, the continent only attracted $4 million out of the $23.2 billion raised by global AI startups.
Still, the Gates investment could just be the beginning. Trevor Mundel, president of global health at the foundation, says it plans to sign three other partnerships across the continent in the next few months to establish hubs in Nigeria, Kenya, and Senegal with the aim of breaking down barriers “to scale and help move promising AI innovation to impact.”
Read: Gates Foundation to fund AI scaling hubs in Africa