Africa Moves To Close AI Gap As ATU, UN Seal Digital Infrastructure Pact

The African Telecommunications Union (ATU) has signed a strategic partnership with the United Nations Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies (UN-ODET) to strengthen artificial intelligence (AI) capacity and accelerate the development of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) across Africa, as the continent seeks to close persistent gaps in digital readiness and AI adoption.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed on the sidelines of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, is expected to deepen collaboration on AI governance, digital skills, standards, and interoperable digital infrastructure to support sustainable development across African countries.

The agreement comes at a time when African governments are increasingly looking to artificial intelligence to improve public service delivery, healthcare, education, agriculture and financial inclusion, while addressing concerns around fragmented digital systems, limited computing infrastructure and inadequate AI capacity.

Under the partnership, ATU and UN-ODET will work jointly to strengthen AI capabilities and Digital Public Infrastructure through open, secure and responsive systems that can be adopted by member states across the continent.

Announcing the agreement, the organisations said. “ATU and UN-ODET will, through this cooperation, work together to strengthen AI capacity and Digital Public Infrastructure for Africa, with a focus on open, secure and responsive systems that support Member States.”

The collaboration is also expected to promote policy coordination, technical assistance and knowledge sharing as African countries develop national AI strategies and modernise public digital infrastructure in line with global best practices.

However, ATU called on governments, development partners, academia, technology companies and innovators to support the initiative in building an inclusive digital ecosystem across the continent.

The organisation said, “We urge our Member States, partners, the private sector, academia, innovators and the wider digital community to work with us in building a secure, connected and prosperous digital future, developed by the continent and for the continent.”

While the partnership is aimed at helping African countries address long-standing challenges such as fragmented digital identity systems, limited interoperability between government platforms and uneven AI adoption, it also enables countries to build trusted digital public infrastructure that supports innovation and economic growth.

The initiative aligns with broader continental efforts to position Africa as an active participant in global AI governance rather than a passive consumer of emerging technologies. It also complements ongoing work by the ITU and other international organisations to promote responsible AI development, standards and capacity building for developing economies.

The agreement was signed during a week in which governments, multilateral institutions and technology leaders gathered in Geneva to deliberate on the future of artificial intelligence, digital cooperation and global technology governance, with Africa pushing for stronger representation in shaping international AI policies.