Ghana is set to host the maiden edition of the Africa Artificial Intelligence (AI) conference, being organised by the Africa Education Trust Fund (AETF).
The conference, which will focus on how AI can be responsibly leveraged to accelerate Africa’s digital and socio-economic transformation is scheduled to take place at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) in Accra, from November 5 to 6, 2025.
The theme for the occasion is, “AI for Africa: Unlocking Opportunities for Education, Innovation, and Sustainable Development.”
Speaking at the media launch, Dr Ekow Spio-Garbrah, the Chairman, AETF, said the conference would serve as a dynamic platform for dialogue among policymakers, technologists, educators, entrepreneurs, researchers, and development partners from across the continent and beyond.
He said it would also include sessions on AI in national digital strategies and infrastructure development, cybersecurity, data governance, and ethical AI policy frameworks, fostering AI startups and tech ecosystems, and digital skills and youth empowerment in AI innovation.
The Chairman of AETF said the AETF had been established by Africans to mobilise resources and support of various kinds for educational advancement of the African continent and the African people wherever they may reside.
“And in our various deliberations, we thought it would be wise to identify a topic or a subject that is of such seismic, and even cataclysmic implications for our continent that if we don’t master AI, we may go astray and our content will not be able to move as fast as it should,” he added.
He said the youth represented the future of the country and the continent, and that it was crucial for them being the primary beneficiaries of AI to understand its potential and explore ways to harness it effectively to maximize its benefits.
Mr Judson Wendle Addy, Senior Advisor, AETF, said Ghana was no longer a bystander in the digital revolution but a builder of the future, with over USD 21.1 billion already committed toward AI and ICT-related investments.
He said the AETF represented the human-capital bridge of the African Continental Free Trade Area, addressing Africa’s urgent need to transform its vast resources into semi-finished and finished goods, supported by innovation and skilled labor.
The Senior Advisor called on Universities, TVET institutions, teachers, and students to embrace AI-based learning, research and innovation.
“Chambers of Commerce, employers, entrepreneurs and all other sectors must also adopt AI solutions that improve efficiency, reliability, and competitiveness,” he added.
He said Africa stood at a decisive turning point, emphasizing that the continent must define its own place in the age of AI through education, collaboration, and innovation, rather than allowing the world to define it for them.
“It is time to produce food and durable goods in Africa, it is time to build education systems that work for Africa, it is time to create Africa’s AI platform for Africa’s solutions that speak Africa’s languages, solve Africa’s problems and drive Africa’s prosperity,” he stressed.