AI in Africa: Realities and Risks

Trainees prepare to install a PV panel at  Don Bosco Primary School Namugongo  (Photo:  Salesian Missionaries in AGL Province) At the Renewable Energy Conference and Expo 2025 (REC25 & Expo), October 20-22, 2025, in Kampala, one theme has stood out above the rest — the transformative power of digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI) in shaping Africa’s energy future. As experts discussed smarter grids and data-driven energy systems, 34-year-old electrical engineer Grace from Arua City (West Nile region) was already living that future. Each morning, she scans her tablet to check the performance of rows of solar panels stretching toward the horizon. What once required days of manual checks now takes minutes — thanks to an AI-powered monitoring system that predicts faults and keeps clean energy flowing. For Grace, this technology isn’t just innovation; it’s empowerment. Across Africa, stories like Grace’s are beginning to take root as digitalisation and AI reshape...

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...