VERTICAL 1 — ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE · PHASE 1
Africa’s AI moment is here, but the risk has always been that Africa would inherit someone else’s frameworks, someone else’s models, and someone else’s rules. In 2025, AfriLabs moved to change that. Not just through conversations, but through the specific, deliberate act of putting African policymakers, founders, and researchers in rooms where the decisions get made.
The Ministerial Roundtable on AI & African Sovereignty
communities, a role it will continue to build in 2026.
The Ministerial Roundtable on AI & African Sovereignty themed ‘Forging Africa’s Digital Future: Leadership, Policy, and Innovation in the Age of AI’, was one of the most ambitious undertakings of the year. Delivered in 90 days, it brought together over 50 senior policymakers and ecosystem leaders to produce actionable recommendations on AI adoption, inclusive policy, and regional collaboration frameworks. The conversations were substantive - spanning harmonised regulation, Africa’s role in shaping global AI governance, and the link between AI competitiveness and the African Continental Free Trade Area. The Roundtable positioned AfriLabs as a credible bridge between the continent’s policy architecture and its innovation
Mapping the AI EdTech Landscape
The WISE AI EdTech Africa Study - conducted in partnership with the Qatar Foundation - surveyed AI-powered educational technology startups across the continent, engaging over 210 participants including founders, higher education leaders, investors, and policymakers. The study identified key barriers to AI adoption in African education and produced a curated database that is now serving as a continental resource for investors, researchers, and ecosystem builders. 31 per cent of study participants were women - a number that matters in a sector where representation shapes what gets built and for whom.
Group photograph after the ministerial round table at the 2025 AfriLabs Annual Gathering
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AfriLabs Annual Report 2025
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