Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, launched the first-ever Global Artificial Intelligence Summit in Africa on Thursday morning. The two-day event, held on April 3-4, is themed “AI for Africa.”
The summit is organized under the patronage of the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Rwanda’s Ministry of ICT and Innovation, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum.
This event comes as economic forecasts suggest that by 2030, AI will contribute $20 trillion to the global economy, with Africa’s share estimated at $2.9 trillion. Experts also predict that AI could lift 11 million Africans out of poverty and create 500,000 jobs annually.
The summit brings together heads of state and government, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, and representatives from 95 countries. More than 100 AI-related companies are also participating.