Google has unveiled a comprehensive $37 million investment package to support artificial intelligence (AI) development across Africa. This total includes both new and previously committed, but unannounced, funding.
The initiative targets key areas such as AI research, talent development, digital infrastructure, and local language support.
A central component of the announcement is the launch of the AI Collaborative for Food Security, a multi-stakeholder initiative backed by $25 million from Google.org.
This collaborative will unite researchers, nonprofit organizations, and local experts to develop AI-driven solutions for early hunger detection, climate-resilient crops, and customized advisory tools for smallholder farmers.
The overarching aim is to build more adaptive, inclusive, and resilient food systems across the continent, especially in the face of growing climate and economic challenges.
Google also announced $3 million in funding to the Masakhane Research Foundation, the open research collective advancing AI tools in over 40 African languages.
The funding will support the development of high-quality datasets, machine translation models, and speech tools that make digital content more accessible to millions of Africans in their native languages.
To further empower innovation, Google is launching a catalytic funding initiative to support AI-driven startups tackling real-world challenges.
This platform will combine philanthropic capital, venture investment, and Google’s technical expertise to help more than 100 early-stage ventures scale AI-based solutions in agriculture, healthcare, education, and other vital sectors. Startups will also receive mentorship, access to tools, and technical guidance to support responsible development.
Africa’s AI talent is growing rapidly, but the infrastructure to support it must grow in tandem. That’s why a cornerstone of this announcement is the launch of the AI Community Centre in Accra — a first-of-its-kind space for AI learning, experimentation, and collaboration in Africa.
The Centre will host training sessions, community events, and workshops focused on responsible AI development. Its programming will span four pillars: AI literacy, community technology, social impact, and arts and culture, providing a platform for a diverse ecosystem of developers, students, and creators to engage with AI in ways that are grounded in African priorities.
To help meet the rising demand for AI and digital skills, Google is rolling out 100,000 Google Career Certificate scholarships for students in higher learning institutions across Ghana.
These fully funded, self-paced programs will focus on AI Essentials, Prompting Essentials, and other high-growth fields like IT Support, Data Analytics, and Cybersecurity — enabling more learners to access job-ready training and build careers in AI and the digital economy.
Beyond Ghana, Google.org is committing an additional $7 million to support AI education across Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Ghana. The funding will support academic institutions and nonprofits building localized AI curricula, online safety training, and cybersecurity programs.
Additionally, two new $1 million grants from Google.org aim to bolster AI research capacity across the continent. One grant goes to the African Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AfriDSAI) at the University of Pretoria to support applied AI research and training.
The other supports the Wits Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery (MIND) Institute in South Africa, which will fund MSc and PhD students to conduct foundational AI research and help shape Africa’s role in the global AI landscape.
James Manyika, Senior Vice President for Research, Labs, and Technology & Society at Google, said: “Africa is home to some of the most important and inspiring work in AI today. We are committed to supporting the next wave of innovation through long-term investment, local partnerships, and platforms that help researchers and entrepreneurs build solutions that matter.”
Yossi Matias, Vice President of Engineering and Research at Google, added: “This new wave of support reflects our belief in the talent, creativity, and ingenuity across the continent. By building with local communities and institutions, we’re supporting solutions that are rooted in Africa’s realities and built for global impact.”
These new initiatives build on Google’s ongoing work across the continent. Past efforts have included partnerships to support AI-powered maternal health dashboards in Ghana and Nigeria, wildfire alerts in East Africa, and regional language models developed by teams in Accra and Nairobi.
They also reflect Google’s continued focus on shared infrastructure, open research, and inclusive innovation that ensures AI works for everyone.
