<\/p>\n
The announcement came during the 8th Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC) Ministerial Conference in Seoul, attended by about 800 participants representing 45 African countries.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The September 8-11 conference, held under the theme \u201cHarnessing AI and digital infrastructure for Africa\u2019s transformation\u201d, also marks KOAFEC\u2019s 20th anniversary.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Korea Prime Minister Han Seong-sook described Africa as \u201cthe world\u2019s youngest and most dynamic continent\u201d, with growing markets, strategic resources and a creative young population.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Korea Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economy Koo Yun-cheol outlined a strategy focusing on AI infrastructure, applications in productive sectors and stronger digital skills.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Korean AI Package will combine data centres, energy infrastructure, digital connectivity and AI applications across agriculture, healthcare, energy and transport. \u201cThe Korean government has decided to support countries that wish to develop AI in line with their own priorities,\u201d Koo said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Initial projects include an advanced technology training institute in Tanzania, which will train specialists in AI, robotics and data analysis.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A K-AI Cloud Voucher programme will also provide African start-ups with access to cloud infrastructure and technology.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
AfDB Group President Dr Sidi Ould Tah said AI could add as much as $1 trillion to Africa\u2019s gross domestic product by 2035 if the continent secured adequate investment. \u201cAI does not develop on the basis of aspirations alone. It depends on a comprehensive ecosystem,\u201d Ould Tah said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
That ecosystem requires dependable electricity, affordable connectivity, data infrastructure, skills and appropriate regulatory frameworks. Africa currently accounts for less than 2% of global data-centre capacity. \u201cAfrica must not simply consume imported technologies. It must have the capacity to build, govern, adapt and deploy its own solutions,\u201d Ould Tah said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ould Tah called for investment in foundational infrastructure, practical high-impact applications and responsible regulation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Equatorial Guinea Deputy Minister for Finance, Budget and National Planning Milagrosa Obono Ang\u00fce highlighted Africa\u2019s continuing dependence on external data infrastructure. \u201cEighty percent of data in Africa is hosted abroad, and Africa pays dearly for this,\u201d Obono Ang\u00fce said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–AfDB\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":43167,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[44],"class_list":["post-45657","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Korea has unveiled an artificial intelligence (AI) support package aimed at expanding Africa\u2019s data infrastructure, digital connectivity and use of technology in productive sectors.","published_date":"","news_description":"Korea has unveiled an artificial intelligence (AI) support package aimed at expanding Africa\u2019s data infrastructure, digital connectivity and use of technology in productive sectors.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/45657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/45657\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45658,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/45657\/revisions\/45658"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=45657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}