Africa is home to 18 percent of the world's population, yet it hosts only 0.6 percent of the global data center capacity, according to a recent report by the World Bank. The Africa Economic Update, published on October 6 and titled Building AI Readiness, focuses on the continent’s progress and challenges in artificial intelligence. Currently, only about 5 percent of African data centers are equipped to support AI, and the continent contributes less than 2 percent of the data used globally to train AI models. AI-related activity is largely concentrated in three countries—Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa—which attract most of the venture capital and scientific research in the region. The World Bank report highlights the importance of adapting low-cost AI applications to local needs rather than trying to match advanced global models. One example is the Darli AI tool from Ghana’s Farmerline, which has reached 110,000 farmers across more than 27 languages in just eight months. The report excludes North Africa, which is part of a different World Bank region, but three North African countries have already launched national AI strategies. Morocco, for instance, unveiled its roadmap called Maroc IA 2030 in January, aiming to create 100 billion dirhams of added value, 50,000 jobs, and train or certify 200,000 people in AI by 2030. In April, during the Gitex Africa event in Marrakech, Morocco signed an agreement with Nexus Core Systems to build the Nexus AI Factory near Casablanca. The project, with an initial investment of $1.2 billion, is expected to have a long-term capacity of 500 megawatts. Nvidia, a major supplier of AI chips, confirmed its involvement in the project at the end of September. The facility is anticipated to provide computing power to the entire Europe, Middle East, and Africa region. Meanwhile, Egypt launched its national AI strategy for 2025–2030 in January 2025, with goals to increase the ICT sector's share of GDP to 7.7 percent and train 30,000 AI specialists by 2030. Algeria has also begun formalizing its national AI strategy, with a focus on data, digital infrastructure, and skills development. In early August, a government meeting identified the development of sovereign AI models and the expansion of national computing centers as key priorities. The World Bank emphasizes that investments in computing power will be ineffective without reliable and affordable electricity and strong data governance. It encourages regional collaboration, as many African countries lack the resources to finance large-scale data centers alone. According to the Africa Data Centres Association, the continent's data center capacity is expected to triple by 2030, but its global share will remain below 0.6 percent, while investments continue to grow in the United States, Europe, and Asia.