A new report from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change calls on African governments to embrace artificial intelligence as a transformative tool to overcome long-standing development challenges and reshape public governance. Titled “Governing in the Age of AI: Unlocking a New Era of Transformation in Africa,” the April 2025 report outlines a bold, continent-wide strategy to embed AI at the core of service delivery, policy planning, and economic transformation.
The report argues that AI offers African nations a “non-linear pathway” to leapfrog development constraints, enhance government efficiency, and deliver improved outcomes in health, education, agriculture, and employment. With a young and rapidly growing population, many countries face mounting pressure to create jobs, boost food security, and expand access to public services—all amid tight fiscal constraints and infrastructure gaps.
“Incremental reform is no longer enough,” the report states. “AI represents a fundamental necessity for survival and progress.”
Rather than deploying isolated digital tools, the report urges governments to adopt an integrated AI ecosystem supported by foundational digital public infrastructure. It proposes a dual-track strategy: rapidly implementing AI in priority sectors such as healthcare and agriculture, while simultaneously investing in long-term enablers like computer infrastructure, ethical governance frameworks, and workforce development.
Among the structural challenges impeding African governance are capacity deficits, fragmented institutions, and information asymmetries. These limitations, the report says, contribute to inefficiencies, underfunded services, and diminished public trust. For example, many government agencies still operate with paper-based workflows, and ministries often work in silos without coordinated data sharing or policy alignment.
To address these barriers, the Institute recommends five key actions: creating national AI strategies backed by high-level political leadership; investing in digital identity systems and secure data platforms; fostering public-private AI innovation hubs; establishing regulatory sandboxes for testing new tools; and scaling access to AI infrastructure across underserved regions.
The report also introduces the idea of an AI-Financing Compact for Africa—an investment model that integrates AI adoption into existing development frameworks, including concessional funding, public-private partnerships, and outcome-based financing. It argues that AI should be seen not as a cost, but as a strategic enhancement of existing development spending.
The report points to early successes, such as Rwanda’s Irembo digital services platform, Kenya’s AI-enabled crop monitoring initiatives, and education pilots in Sierra Leone that use adaptive AI learning systems. These examples, it says, illustrate AI’s potential to improve service quality, increase productivity, and generate long-term savings.
“Governments that invest in AI today will unlock new economic opportunities,” the report concludes. “Those that hesitate risk falling further behind.”
Ultimately, the report envisions a new model of African governance: one that is transparent, data-driven, and responsive to citizens’ needs, powered by AI but grounded in accountability and inclusion. With the right vision, investments, and partnerships, Africa, it says, can harness AI not just to catch up, but to lead.
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