The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) , together with UNDP AI Hub for Sustainable Development, Google and Apolitical, has launched, a free training programme to help public officials across Africa understand and use artificial intelligence (AI) in their work. The programme was launched on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) in New York.
Under Apolitical’s Government AI Campus initiative, participants will gain access to courses including AI Fundamentals for Public Servants: Opportunities, Risks and Strategies, AI Leadership in Government: Building Trust, Skills and an Innovative Culture and Smarter Procurement with AI. Trainings been developed by Stanford University Online and SDA Bocconi School of Management. Google and Apolitical are providing the learning platform and content
The AI Hub for Sustainable Development is a G7-endorsed initiative co-led by UNDP and Italy’s Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, and which aligns with the Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa. The African Development Bank Group is a founding member of the AI Hub’s Executive Steering Group.
Ousmane Fall, the Bank Group’s Director for Industrial and Trade Development said,
“AI is changing how we work. It promises major productivity gains if users fully understand its application. Building that understanding in government has been neglected and this partnership helps us put that right,”
The training is the first step in putting into practice the recommendations from a Bank Group report, Africa’s AI Productivity Gain: Pathways to Labour Efficiency, Economic Growth and Inclusive Transformation, which projected that inclusive AI deployment could add up to $1 trillion to Africa’s gross domestic product by 2035, and identified skills and trusted governance among the five enablers needed to realise those gains.
“As the AI landscape continues to evolve, governments across Africa need timely support to strengthen the institutional and technical foundations required to participate meaningfully in the AI economy,” said Keyzom Ngodup Massally, Director of the AI Hub for Sustainable Development and UNDP Head of Digital & AI Programmes.
Learning on the platform is self-paced. Enrolment is open and free of charge to serving government officials and public servants in the Bank’s regional member countries who are working on AI in public service delivery, digital infrastructure, public-private partnerships or innovation.
