Africa is a continent of 1.4-billion people, the majority younger than 25 years old. We are bursting with creativity and entrepreneurial energy, yet the biggest opportunity for growth and employment, artificial intelligence (AI), is already slipping away from us.
Globally, AI is expected to add around $4.4-trillion (per annum) to the economy in the next decade, and nations across the globe are actively exploiting it. But unless Africa moves faster, we risk remaining consumers of imported technology rather than creators of new AI value.
The B20 SA Digital Transformation Task Force worked to define global priorities for digital transformation and responsible AI adoption. Its recommendations to G20 nations include:
- Building an inclusive digital economy;
- Expanding modern digital infrastructure for affordable access;
- Strengthening digital literacy for the AI-enabled workforce; and
- Advancing secure, ethical AI.
These are universal priorities, but they are especially critical for a continent where the development gap is widening by the day.
Learning to speak AI
The recommendations stress that AI literacy is no longer a “future skill” — it’s the new basic literacy of the modern economy.
If Africa is to compete, it must start at the foundations. Countries are urged to integrate digital and AI literacy into education systems as a core competency, alongside mathematics and language skills.
SA, with its young population, could leapfrog decades of incremental digital skill-building by making AI comprehension a universal skill by 2030.
SA, with its young population, could leapfrog decades of incremental digital skill-building by making AI comprehension a universal skill by 2030
— Theo Mabaso, Group CIO at Sanlam and B20 SA Digital Transformation Task Force member
Beyond schools, workforce upskilling is essential. Sanlam’s view is that we should consider a national programme aimed at training millions of South Africans in AI-related skills and equipping employees across industries — from finance to agriculture — to innovate rather than be automated out of relevance.
Online platforms, vocational colleges and corporate partnerships could make this feasible, but it requires action over policy.
Democratising AI access
Even the most talented engineer is limited without the right infrastructure. Cloud computing, AI tools and data remain prohibitively expensive for small businesses in Africa.
One of B20 SA Digital Transformation Task Force’s global recommendations is to create blended finance vehicles, with joint efforts between governments, development institutions and private capital to make access to digital tools more affordable and inclusive.
For Africa, this is essential to growth. By subsidising cloud credits, data access and training for small enterprises, we can democratise AI. When technology becomes accessible to everyone, innovation flourishes and local solutions emerge.
Safe spaces to innovate
Regulation often lags behind technology. The Task Force’s recommendations call on G20 nations to enable regulatory sandboxes, i.e. controlled environments where innovators, startups, corporates and regulators can rapidly and safely co-create digital and AI solutions and grow them together.
Vietnam’s approach, where AI is treated as national infrastructure, is a leading example. Their sandboxes allow experimentation and innovation in healthcare, agriculture and traffic management to develop solutions safely while balancing innovation, knowledge building and oversight.
I believe that SA could adopt a similar model, allowing AI applications in critical sectors to be tested responsibly, then scaled fast. This would accelerate innovation while building regulatory confidence and public trust.
Ethics and local values
The B20 Digital Transformation Task Force recommendations also emphasise the need for strong ethical frameworks to ensure AI serves humanity responsibly. For SA, that should mean embedding our own value system — Ubuntu — into the governance of AI.
An AI Ethics Charter, grounded in fairness, transparency and inclusion, could ensure that algorithms reflect our social realities rather than importing biases from elsewhere. Ethical frameworks are not obstacles to progress, they are enablers of sustainable growth and public trust.
Bold, achievable steps for SA
Africa’s opportunity is within reach if we act decisively.
Within our local context, I believe five actionable steps could transform SA’s trajectory:
- Universal AI skills: Integrate AI literacy into schools and vocational programmes, aiming to train one million South Africans by 2030.
- Blended finance for SMEs: Create mechanisms to subsidise cloud credits, AI tools and training for small businesses and startups. Offer funding to promising businesses.
- Regulatory sandboxes: Establish environments for controlled experimentation in key sectors and partnership with the private sector to expand the value.
- Ethics charter: Develop a South African AI Ethics Charter grounded in Ubuntu values.
- Public AI infrastructure: Build shared AI assets, national datasets and citizen-facing digital assistants that allow for scaled use across SMMEs.
Closing the gap, not just following
The Task Force recommendations provide a global roadmap for inclusive digital transformation. But for Africa, the imperative is sharper and more urgent. We cannot afford to be passive consumers of AI while others define the rules, build the platforms and capture the value.
With education, public-private collaboration, ethical governance and shared infrastructure, Africa can leapfrog traditional barriers and become a contributor to global AI value creation.
SA has the youth, creativity and readiness to innovate, but these strengths can’t make an impact without bold, coordinated action.
The world will not wait. Africa must decide whether it will be shaped by the AI revolution or help shape it. The window is open, but won’t be for long.
To download a copy of the Sanlam ESG Barometer: B20 Policy Impact Special Report, click here.
This article was sponsored by Sanlam.
