1 week Ago By Folake Balogun
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning will empower Africa to solve its challenges faster and cheaper, according to Juliet Ehimuan, founder of Beyond Limits and the convener of the DICE platform. She stated this at DICE 3.0, a gathering that brought together key stakeholders in Africa’s tech, business, and creative ecosystem.
“Africa’s biggest challenges will not be solved by traditional methods of the past because these emerging technologies like AI and machine learning empower us to solve those challenges faster and more cost effectively,” Ehimuan said. She cited some solutions being solved by AI, like how it can predict drought, other climate conditions, and detect crop diseases and some other examples of trends we can lean into to transform Africa’s future. The world has changed since ChatGPT launched in November 2022, and today, AI is everywhere — embedded in apps, smartphones, and gadgets — impacting how people work and live.
Individuals have increasingly integrated AI into their work processes, doing more and delivering more efficient and effective results. “We are on the brink of a technological revolution that could jumpstart productivity,” the International Monetary Fund stated. Read also: Global Innovators move to strengthen artificial intelligence, sustainable development in Africa Andrew Ng, founder of DeepLearning.
AI, chairman, and co-founder of Coursera, said, “Already today, every knowledge worker can get a meaningful productivity boost by using generative AI.” According to Google, searches in Nigeria for ‘What is AI?’ increased by 30 percent in 2024, while searches for ‘How to use AI’ increased by 40 percent. Businesses are also benefiting.
Ehimuan noted that a lot can still be done with the help of AI. DICE, an acronym for Digital Innovation and Creative Excellence, is Beyond Limits’ platform for fostering networking and collaboration among Africa’s dreamers in the technological innovation space to engender the cross-fertilisation of ideas towards more significant impact. The third edition of DICE offered innovators in Africa’s tech and business ecosystem the knowledge, strategies, and networks essential for scaling into new markets across the continent.
Beyond AI, Frank Eggmann, Consul General of Switzerland in Lagos, noted that vocational training is important to boosting productivity. “Education is a very important pillar, focus on vocational skills and apprenticeships,” he said. “We are very engaged with vocational training here.
Swiss companies that are established in Lagos use it, and we train companies in Nestle and train about 100 young people every year,” he said. Mark Smithson, country director (Nigeria), UK Department for Business and Trade, emphasised that Nigeria has the requisite talent to succeed. “There is a lot of potential here to thrive because the talent is without doubt here in Nigeria,” he said.
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