AI in Africa: Realities and Risks

In a world grappling with record heatwaves, floods, and droughts, technology is emerging not as a distant luxury but as a vital ally in the fight against climate change. The AI for Climate Action Award celebrates this powerful intersection between human creativity and artificial intelligence, spotlighting innovators using open-source AI to accelerate both climate adaptation and mitigation. This year’s AI for Climate Action Award 2025, hosted by the UNFCCC Technology Executive Committee (TEC), in partnership with the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)—in collaboration with Brazil and Enterprise Neurosystem—showcased the next generation of climate technology trailblazers. What made this year’s competition particularly inspiring was the strong showing from Africa. Out of four global finalists, three hailed from the continent: · Tehila Mwenda (Zambia) · Careen Joel (Tanzania) · Hannah Rhodah (Uganda) Each brought unique ideas...

Giraffes in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda (Photo: Kimbowa R) Technology, such as remote sensing and data analytics, enhances real-time monitoring, enabling proactive conservation efforts. This ensures the protection of diverse ecosystems, preserves critical habitats, and mitigates threats, ultimately leading to the sustained health of ecosystems and the preservation of endangered species (UNSSC & UNEP, 2025). Opportunities to address biodiversity loss (one of the planetary crises of global concern) have gained traction, leading to the recently agreed Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The Framework seeks to respond to the Global Assessment Report of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services issued by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (2019), the fifth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook (2020), and many other scientific documents that provide ample evidence that, despite ongoing efforts, biodiversity is deteri...

Researchers in South Africa have developed an AI system to track air quality in real time. The technology could save lives and help reduce respiratory illnesses.

On September 18, 2025, a session is organised by the World Trade Organisation to explore how Africa is shaping its digital trade future through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Digital Trade Protocol, engagement in WTO e-commerce discussions, and the Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy. It will examine the Africa region’s priorities on data governance, local value creation, and inclusive digital markets, while assessing risks of fragmentation across regimes. Speakers will consider how African countries can assert greater agency in global digital rulemaking and align trade, technology, and development strategies. The session provides a forward-looking perspective on what a fair and inclusive global digital trade architecture could look like from the African and Global South perspectives. This session will bring together key African negotiators, policymakers, and civil society leaders to unpack critical issues around Africa’s engagement in digital trade...

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Africa faces several interconnected challenges that hinder the continent's ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters effectively. These challenges are rooted in socioeconomic, environmental, political, and institutional factors. The lack of early warning systems (EWS) and data is a critical challenge in disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Africa, as it directly affects the ability to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to disasters. For example, warnings are sometimes issued too late or in a technical or vague format that communities cannot interpret or act upon quickly, while standard protocols for issuing, escalating, and responding to warnings are lacking.  At the same time, many countries in Africa have underdeveloped or outdated weather observation networks , with few weather stations or functioning satellite systems. As a result, real-time monitoring of rainfall, temperature, wind, and other variables is often incomplete...

Africa remains on the frontline of the climate crisis—experiencing accelerating droughts, floods, heatwaves, shifting rainfall patterns, and coastal degradation—despite contributing less than 4% of global emissions. These shocks are reversing development gains and placing immense pressure on food systems, public health, infrastructure, and water security. The consequences are especially severe for climate-sensitive sectors such as water, agriculture, energy, transport and disaster risk management, where vulnerabilities are deepening due to limited adaptive capacity and under-resourced response systems. While locally driven, context-specific adaptation is vital, many African countries lack access to the technological tools and systems required to adapt effectively and at scale. Across the Global South, however, a wide array of cost-effective, proven technologies is emerging—from Earth Observation (EO) systems and open-source climate data platforms to Artificial Intelligence (AI)...