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Google advances AI devt in Africa with $37m
By Lucy Emenike
Published on 25/07/2025 10:21
Technology

Technology firm, Google, has outlined AI support across Africa, representing $37 million in cumulative funding, including previously committed but unannounced funding to research, talent development, and infrastructure.

The funding package includes funding and partnerships that aim to strengthen AI research, support African languages, improve food systems, expand digital skills, and build research capacity.

The AI Collaborative for Food Security, a multi-partner initiative launched with $25 million in funding from Google.org, will bring together researchers and nonprofit organisations to co-develop AI tools for early hunger forecasting, crop resilience, and tailored guidance for smallholder farmers. The goal is to help make food systems across Africa more adaptive, equitable, and resilient in the face of increasing climate and economic shocks.

Google, yesterday, 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 start-ups 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.

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