Nairobi AI Forum 2026: AfDB, UNDP Launch AI 10 Billion Initiative to Create Jobs in Africa

The landmark announcement was made at the Nairobi AI Forum 2026, held on 9–10 February in Kenya, where governments, technology leaders, investors and development partners gathered to map Africa’s AI future.

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have unveiled an ambitious AI 10 Billion Initiative, aiming to mobilise up to $10 billion by 2035 to accelerate responsible artificial intelligence adoption and unlock 40 million new jobs across Africa.

The landmark announcement was made at the Nairobi AI Forum 2026, held on 9–10 February in Kenya, where governments, technology leaders, investors and development partners gathered to map Africa’s AI future.

A Continental Bet on AI-Led Growth

The AI 10 Billion Initiative is a co-designed partnership between the AfDB, UNDP and private sector partners. It seeks to position Africa as a global AI innovation hub while ensuring digital transformation delivers inclusive economic growth.

The initiative’s headline goals include:

• Mobilising up to $10 billion in blended finance by 2035

• Supporting the creation of up to 40 million jobs

• Driving AI-powered productivity gains across sectors

• Expanding entrepreneurship and digital infrastructure

• Strengthening governance, skills and ethical AI frameworks

Backers say the initiative responds directly to discussions at the Nairobi AI Forum, which emphasised building AI ecosystems rooted in trust, local value creation, workforce readiness and sustainable development.

Building the Foundations: Data, Compute, Skills, Trust and Capital

The initiative is guided by AfDB’s June 2025 flagship report, Africa’s AI Productivity Gain: Pathways to Labour Efficiency, Economic Growth and Inclusive Transformation.

The report outlines a three-phase roadmap anchored on five core enablers:

1. Data – Developing interoperable, secure and accessible data ecosystems

2. Compute – Expanding cloud infrastructure and regional data centres

3. Skills – Upskilling the workforce and nurturing AI talent pipelines

4. Trust – Establishing ethical governance and regulatory frameworks

5. Capital – Mobilising blended finance to scale innovation

Investments will support proof-of-concept projects through equity financing, debt instruments and resilience-focused funding structures, aimed at scaling African AI startups and strengthening digital infrastructure.

“As a leading multilateral development institution, the Bank is leveraging its comparative advantage to ensure Africa is not left behind in the AI era,” said Nicholas Williams, AfDB’s ICT Operations Division Manager.

“The AI 10 Billion Initiative paves the way for expanded partnerships and sustained investment that will accelerate AI entrepreneurship, strengthen data and infrastructure ecosystems, and support inclusive growth across the continent.”

Unlocking a $1 Trillion Opportunity

AfDB estimates that strategic AI adoption could unlock up to $1 trillion in additional GDP for Africa by 2035, driven by gains in productivity, labour efficiency and new digital industries.

The initiative targets sectors where AI can have transformative impact, including:

• Agriculture and food systems

• Healthcare and diagnostics

• Financial inclusion

• Climate resilience and disaster forecasting

• Public service delivery

Jean-Luc Stalon, UNDP Resident Representative in Kenya, said UNDP would play a key role in shaping practical, private sector-driven partnerships to translate AI potential into measurable development gains.

He emphasised the importance of ensuring AI adoption creates jobs and improves livelihoods, particularly for youth and women, who make up a significant share of Africa’s growing labour force.

High-Level Backing and Global Partnerships

The initiative was announced during a high-level panel featuring representatives from the governments of Italy and Kenya, the European Union, UNDP and AfDB — signalling broad international backing.

Over the next 10 months, AfDB will embark on a continent-wide and global roadshow to engage governments, development partners and private investors to formalise partnerships and secure financing commitments.

Responsible AI at the Core

A central theme of the Nairobi AI Forum was the need for AI adoption grounded in ethics, transparency and local ownership, amid growing global debate over regulation and digital sovereignty.

The AI 10 Billion Initiative aims to ensure Africa does not merely consume imported AI technologies but actively shapes, develops and governs them.

By combining capital mobilisation, policy support, infrastructure investment and skills development, the partnership seeks to accelerate Africa’s digital transformation while embedding safeguards against exclusion and technological dependency.

If successfully implemented, the initiative could mark one of the largest coordinated AI investment drives in the Global South — positioning Africa at the forefront of inclusive and responsible AI growth over the next decade.