“Africa holds the future workforce, but infrastructure investment remains low” – Bosun Tijani
Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has warned that Africa is not receiving the level of infrastructure investment needed to compete in the global artificial intelligence economy, despite the continent being home to the world’s future workforce.
Speaking at the Next 3 Billion event by Semafor on the sidelines of UNGA 80, Tijani highlighted the urgent need for increased AI infrastructure investment across African countries, noting that within 20 years, the majority of the world’s youth population will be concentrated on the continent.
“The workforce of the future is going to be in Africa,” Tijani stated. “If we’re taking it that way, the level of investment that we should be seeing in infrastructure is not yet going there.”
The minister used a stark agricultural comparison to illustrate the competitive disadvantage African countries face without adequate AI infrastructure. He cited recent observations from Brazil, where farms utilising artificial intelligence and enhanced connectivity are achieving 10 to 12 tonnes of maize per hectare.
This contrasts dramatically with Nigeria’s average of 2.5 tonnes per hectare, and even South Africa’s higher range of 4 to 6 tonnes per hectare. Tijani emphasised that these productivity gains are not due to genetically modified organisms (GMO) but rather the strategic application of artificial intelligence and connectivity infrastructure.
“The implication of that is countries like Nigeria will not be able to justify why they shouldn’t be importing maize from Brazil,” he warned. “And we know that if we have to keep importing all of our food from countries like Brazil, then there’s not going to be job opportunities for young people in Africa.”
Tijani’s comments come amid reports of major data center deals in Africa facing challenges, including projects involving G42 and Microsoft in Kenya that have reportedly stalled. However, the minister maintained that the fundamental issue is not declining investor interest but rather insufficient articulation of AI’s impact on national competitiveness.
“I think the theory for me, for what’s responsible for that (the low investment in infrastructre) is likely because we’ve not been able to do a good job at articulating the impact of artificial intelligence on the competitiveness of nations,” he explained.
The minister referenced World Bank data suggesting that improving connectivity levels in any economy by 10% typically results in approximately 2.5% GDP growth for African countries, questioning whether similar metrics have been effectively communicated regarding AI infrastructure.
Tijani noted that while many perceive artificial intelligence as a new phenomenon, countries that invested in infrastructure years ago are already reaping significant benefits. He cited examples from China, where artificial intelligence is being used for urban management systems, and Singapore’s advanced AI integration across various sectors.
“The countries that have invested for a long time are already benefiting significantly from artificial intelligence,” he observed. “So we have a short window to accelerate the deepening of the absorptive capacity in countries like mine and the rest of Africa so that we can use artificial intelligence effectively.”
Urgent Need for Capacity Building
Bosun Tijani further emphasised the critical nature of the current moment, describing it as a brief opportunity for African nations to develop what he termed “absorptive capacity” – the ability to effectively utilise artificial intelligence for essential economic activities while also participating in artificial intelligence development and innovation.
His warnings suggest that without immediate action to improve AI infrastructure and capacity, African countries risk falling further behind in global competitiveness, particularly in sectors like agriculture, where artificial intelligence applications are already transforming productivity in other regions.
The minister’s assessment suggests that while Africa possesses demographic advantages that could drive future economic growth, realising this potential requires immediate and substantial investment in AI infrastructure and capacity building to ensure the continent can compete effectively in an increasingly AI-driven global economy.
