AI Hub for Sustainable Development

Reimagining AI Partnerships

Through bold private-sector partnerships across the G7 and Africa, the AI Hub is meeting today’s demand for practical AI solutions while building the foundations for tomorrow’s AI economy. Working with African innovators, institutions and ecosystem partners, our programmes focus on data, talent, energy-aware compute, trust and safety, and financing to generate jobs, support growth in priority sectors, and unlock AI tools built with and for Africa.

Explore Programmes Our Partners

1,000+

AI Innovators Engaged

1.5M

GPU Hours Made Available

USD 3M+

Compute Credits Mobilized

+25

New Partnerships

Partner Countries

The Opportunity

AI could unlock up to US$1 trillion in additional GDP and 35–40 million digital and digitally enabled jobs for Africa by 2035 — if the right foundations are built now.

View AI 10 Billion Initiative→

The AI Foundations

Five pillars where the AI Hub unlocks resources for today and builds foundations for tomorrow

Where the AI Hub and its partners focus to unlock Africa’s AI opportunityAcross Data, Green Compute, Talent, Trust and Safety, and Financing, the AI Hub and its partners focus on the levers that shape who can access AI infrastructure, build with relevant data, develop competitive skills, earn trust, and bring African AI solutions to the world.

Data

Opening access to AI-ready, reusable and locally relevant datasets that help African innovators build solutions for sustainable development.

Green Compute

Expanding access to affordable, sustainable compute capacity so African innovators can test, train and deploy AI solutions.

Talent

Growing AI skills and talent networks through partnerships that connect African innovators to training, mentorship and technical expertise.

Trust

Strengthening cyber resilience, responsible AI practices and safeguards so AI solutions can be built, adopted and scaled with confidence.

Financing

Connecting African AI ventures to right-sized financing pathways, partners and support needed to reach users and markets.

About the AI Hub

Co-creating with Africa’s AI ecosystem

The AI Hub for Sustainable Development is a G7-endorsed initiative co-led by Italy’s Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy and UNDP in line with the Italy-Africa Mattei Plan. Through partnerships across the G7 and Africa, including with the private sector, public institutions, African innovators and ecosystem actors, the AI Hub is strengthening the foundations for Africa’s AI ecosystem across data, energy-aware compute, talent, trust and safety, and financing. Across 18 partner countries, it builds on Africa’s young population, growing innovation ecosystems, renewable energy potential, and local data, languages and knowledge to support AI adoption in priority sectors including energy, agriculture, health, water, education and training, and infrastructure, helping turn adoption into jobs, productivity and a more inclusive African AI economy.

“The AI Hub is Italy’s concrete and strategic response to the challenge of global innovation, in line with the decisions made by the Italian G7 Presidency and the Mattei Plan.”

Adolfo Urso — Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT), Government of Italy

Co-led by

Italy and UNDP

A G7-endorsed initiative under the Italy-Africa Mattei Plan framework.

18 priority countries

Focused engagement across Africa

A targeted country footprint for strengthening AI ecosystem foundations, expanding local capacity and supporting AI innovation in priority sectors.

AI Diffusion Pathways

Activating AI Diffusion Pathways in Africa

An Italy–Kenya–India partnership brings together Italy’s links to the G7 ecosystem and Mattei Plan framework, Kenya’s on-the-ground implementation experience, and India’s DPI and voice AI leadership to build reusable AI pathways for Africa.

Turning implementation experience into shared infrastructure, tools and know-how that can scale across Africa and the Global South.

G7 ecosystem partnerships
Mattei Plan framework
CINECA compute access

Assets flow across borders

Country-level implementation experience
African innovation ecosystem development
Regional leadership and coordination

Code, models, know-how

DPI implementation leadership
Voice AI and language technology pathways
Global South technology cooperation

Endorsed by the G7 leaders, the AI Hub for Sustainable Development is designed to re-imagine global AI partnerships and power local ecosystems with Africa

Our Focus Areas

Data

GREEN
COMPUTE

TALENT

Enabling Ecosystem

The AI Hub for Sustainable Development

Our mission is to nurture a space where novel ideas emerge and thrive, with transformative solutions by Africa’s innovators and start-ups to build AI foundations—in areas of green compute, data and talent. Connecting everyone into an ecosystem where they can grow together and advance prosperity for all is at the AI Hub's core.

As Enrico Mattei, the inspiration for the Italy-Africa Mattei Plan, redefined international partnerships in the 1950s, Italy is once again driving an ecosystem of equal partnerships through the AI Hub. The AI Hub is aligned with the African Union’s AI Strategy and is anchored by 14 partner countries in Africa (Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Tanzania and Tunisia), catalyzing transformation across six key sectors–energy, agriculture, health, water, education & training, and infrastructure.

Artificial Intelligence is poised to be the most transformative technology of our era, and its benefits must be accessible to all. For Africa, where 60% of Africans are under 25, AI presents a unique opportunity to leapfrog traditional development growth, delivering innovative and impactful solutions in healthcare, education, agriculture, finance, and governance.
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Bold solutions and partnerships are required to meet the unique needs of the African AI market. Based in Rome, Italy, the AI Hub for Sustainable Development recognizes the importance of reimagining global models and resources to match the realities and ambitions of African innovators.

No prior technology cycle has matched AI’s potential to accelerate Africa’s industrial development. Join us to co-design exponential solutions and infrastructure, working with AI innovators and start-ups across borders.

The official opening included political and private sector leaders across G7, the EU, Italy and Africa, with notable mentions including:
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“The AI Hub for Sustainable Development is part of the Mattei Plan, a priority of the Italian Government’s foreign policy. With this instrument we want to contribute to the achievement of development objectives, leveraging the private sector and interesting projects for the market.”

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– Adolfo Urso – Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Government of Italy

‍First Wave of Core Initiatives

The official launch of the AI Hub for Sustainable Development spotlighted the first wave of core initiatives aimed at accelerating AI-enabled industrial development across Africa.

The Africa Green Compute Coalition (AGCC)

A flagship of the AI Hub, working with core design partners from G7, Italy and Kenya: Alliance4AI, Axum, Kytabu and Cineca to exponentially enable access to scalable, sustainable, and affordable AI compute infrastructure – understanding and partnering with both supply and demand - to precisely target climate positive innovations and industrial development across Africa.

Compute Accelerator Programme

An initiative designed to connect supply with demand readiness through integrated acceleration support, driving the efficient and effective use of compute to enable international growth and scalability.
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AI Infrastructure Builder Programme

A space where Africa’s AI Infrastructure builders are connected to an integrated network of government and financing, where they can shape the partnerships that the continent of Africa needs with the G7, Italy, and the European Union.

AI Hub Platform

An AI gateway that is foundational and transformational to how the world will engage with Africa to advance AI.

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AI Hub for Sustainable Development - Official Opening Day

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Introducing the AI Hub for Sustainable Development

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Africa Green Compute Coalition

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AskHub Preview

AI Art for Industries Walkthrough

A curated exhibition featuring AI-generated artwork submitted through an open call by African and Italian creators, showcasing their vision for the future of industrial growth in Africa, powered by AI. These are among the more than 100 submissions received across the 14 partner countries of the Italy-Africa Mattei Plan and Italy.

ALGERIA

'Echoes of M’Zab, Dreams of Tomorrow'
Djehaf Kaouthar
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ANGOLA

'Green Future with African AI'
Chissola Marlene Neto Manuel

EGYPT

'Nile Nexus: AI Rebirth'
Anas Youssef

ETHIOPIA

'Climate Roast: AI Coffee Futures'
Zekarias Yemane Berhe

GHANA

'Roots of Innovation: Dual Consciousness with AI'
Abigail Oppong

ITALY

'Langhe Connected by African Heart'
Maura Micucci

IVORY COAST

'Graines d'Avenir Ivoirien'
Eric Adé Tanauh

KENYA

'AfroTech Farm: AI in Kenya'
Stephen Ndiema

MAURITANIA

'Digital Lights of the Desert'
Sidi Mohamed Hmeyti

MOROCCO

'DeepRoots, DeepLeaf'
El Mahdi Aboulmanadel

MOZAMBIQUE

'Dreaming Tomorrow in Rural Mozambique'
Mário Neves Gonçalo Chilundo

REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

'A futuristic vision of Congo powered by AI'
Matt Glesmycene Seinzor

SENEGAL

'Woman, Land, and Data'
Oumar Ndiaye

TANZANIA

'Isle of Plenty'
Mc Donald Nyoni

TUNISIA

'Tunisia’s AI Learning Horizon'
Amen Allah Heni

Keep watching this space for updates on the work of the AI Hub
Get in touch: aihubfordevelopment@undp.org

Innovation in Action

African-led AI across sectors

From crop disease detection to maternal health voice AI — the Hub’s ecosystem is translating compute access into real-world impact across six priority sectors.

Blog

AI that serves all: Reviving the spirit of Nalanda for a planetary commons

India's AI Mission and UNDP's AI Hub embody a shared vision by designing common reusable foundations into AI initiatives, unlocking AI's potential as a powerful equalizer.

January 12, 2026

World Economic Forum

Blog

Co-creating With Africa's AI Ecosystem

Africa's AI story is one of momentum. The continent holds many of the critical minerals that power global AI infrastructure and is home to the world's youngest population.

November 23, 2025

AI Hub

Publication

Unlocking Compute in Africa

The Africa Green Compute Coalition releases a clarion call for transformative action, championing African agency, digital sovereignty, and locally driven innovation for an AI-enabled future.

June 20, 2025

Africa Green Compute Coalition