Two fundamental infrastructure problems limit the spread of artificial intelligence in Sub‑Saharan Africa: unreliable electricity and expensive, slow internet. The region has a population of over 1.5 billion, and by 2025 almost 600 million people in Africa still lacked access to electricity, according to the International Energy Agency. The majority of those without power live in Sub‑Saharan Africa, and access varies sharply between countries.
Some states such as South Africa, Ghana and Kenya have relatively high electrification, while others — including Niger, Chad and South Sudan — have very low rates, with more than 80 percent of the population in many areas lacking reliable power. Power outages are an everyday reality in places like South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire. Experts quoted in the article say the practical challenge is coordination: governments, companies and financial partners must design tailored solutions, and building a stable grid that reaches most of a country is essential for large technology projects.
Internet access also constrains AI. Although 2024 saw most of the global expansion in mobile coverage happen in Sub‑Saharan Africa, rural penetration remains among the lowest in the world. High latency, frequent disconnections (sessions that drop every 10 minutes are common in some areas) and the high cost of mobile data — which can represent a significant share of monthly income — make cloud‑based AI unaffordable or unusable for many people. Startups and SMEs face extra costs for data, VPNs and longer lead times, and sometimes they simply cannot reach advanced tools.
- Education and health are affected: UNESCO says most primary and secondary schools lack internet.
- Off‑grid solar firms like M‑Kopa and Bboxx power phones and lights but cannot run servers or high‑performance machines.
- Technical fixes exist — solar power, undersea cables, offline AI models and targeted investment — but they need political and economic commitment.
Without that commitment, AI’s future will be shaped not only by global research labs but also by classrooms without electricity, rural health centres and resource‑constrained startups in cities like Nairobi.
Difficult words
- infrastructure — basic systems and services for a country
- electrification — process of bringing electricity to people
- outage — period when electricity service stopsoutages
- coordination — organising different groups to work together
- latency — delay before data starts moving
- disconnection — loss of an internet or network connectiondisconnections
- commitment — willingness to give time or resources
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Which of the technical fixes mentioned (solar power, undersea cables, offline AI models, targeted investment) do you think could have the fastest impact, and why?
- How should governments, companies and financial partners coordinate to improve access to electricity and internet for AI projects?
- What challenges might startups in cities like Nairobi face even if electrification and internet improve?
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