The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, has called on African nations to urgently develop inclusive and ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategies tailored to the continent’s unique needs, warning that without deliberate and strategic action, Africa risks being left behind in the global digital revolution.

Speaking at the Africa Education Trust Fund – Artificial Intelligence (AETF-AI) Conference 2025 in Accra, Debrah stressed that AI’s transformative potential could only be fully harnessed if guided by principles of ethics, equity, and local relevance.

The conference, themed “AI for Africa: Unlocking Opportunities for Education, Innovation, and Sustainable Development,” brought together policymakers, researchers, and industry experts to explore how AI can drive sustainable progress across the continent.

According to the Chief of Staff, countries that have successfully embraced AI are already recording measurable progress in sectors such as education, healthcare, agriculture, and climate resilience.

He pointed to examples across Africa where AI is changing lives—such as in Mali, where AI tools are translating educational materials into local languages to promote inclusive learning, and in Kenya, where AI-driven sign language translation tools are enabling access to education for deaf students.

“These are not just innovative solutions,” he noted, “but essential lifelines for providing equitable access to knowledge.”

He emphasized that the African Union’s Continental AI Strategy, endorsed in Accra in 2024, captures this “moment of opportunity,” framing AI as a strategic asset for advancing Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an ethical, inclusive, and scalable manner.

Ghana’s AI Vision

Debrah highlighted Ghana’s proactive approach, revealing that the country had already developed a National AI Strategy aimed at positioning Ghana as a leading AI hub in Africa. Initiatives like the One Million Coders Programme, he explained, are designed to empower young people with practical digital and coding skills to prepare them for the future job market.

However, he cautioned that Africa’s AI growth faces serious challenges, including weak infrastructure, unreliable internet access, limited localized data, and a widening digital skills gap. These, he said, must be urgently addressed if AI is to be effectively scaled to solve local problems.

“The future of AI in Africa will not depend on possibility but on purpose,” Debrah declared. “We must ensure our data ecosystems are robust, secured, and reflective of Africa’s diversity.”

Call for Collective Continental Action

The Chief of Staff urged African governments to move beyond rhetoric and take coordinated action to ensure that AI policies and innovations are developed inclusively and ethically.

He stressed the need for homegrown AI frameworks that reflect Africa’s cultural, linguistic, and socio-economic contexts.

He called on policymakers to foster collaboration across borders, ensure equitable access to AI education, and promote research that strengthens Africa’s capacity to create AI solutions designed by Africans for Africans.

Private Sector’s Role in Africa’s AI Future

In his remarks, Dr. Ekow Spio-Garbrah, Chairman of the Africa Education Trust Fund, said Ghana was honoured to host the AETF-AI Conference, which aims to strengthen the partnership between the public and private sectors in shaping Africa’s educational and technological landscape.

He noted that the AETF was deliberately established as a private sector–led initiative to enable businesses to play a more active role in advancing the continent’s education and innovation agendas.