Aminata Touré : "L’Afrique, jeune et riche, doit dominer l’IA, pas la subir"
At the 9th Symposium on Effective Governance and Artificial Intelligence Transformation, held from September 24 to 26, 2025, in Incheon, Dr. Aminata Touré, former Prime Minister and High Representative of the President of the Republic of Senegal, delivered a visionary speech this Friday. Sharing an African perspective, she highlighted the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) for the continent, while advocating for a sovereign and inclusive approach.
Aminata Touré began by highlighting Africa's youthful demographic: "Africa's estimated population in 2025 is about 1.5 billion people, representing about 18% of the world's population," with 75% of the population under the age of 35 (median age of 19.3, compared to 44.7 in Europe or 39.1 in the United States). She discussed the painful history of slavery and colonization, saying, "We are young survivors, very resilient and determined to catch up with the rest of the world, and artificial intelligence is a very good ally for us."
According to her, AI could boost the African economy by $2.9 billion to $4.8 billion by 2030, in a continent whose nominal GDP will reach $2.83 trillion in 2025, surpassing that of Korea (1.79 trillion). She praised Africa's assets – 60% of the world's arable land, 30% of mineral reserves – and a middle class of 313 million people with a purchasing power of $2.5 trillion. "I say all this to reiterate that Africa is a very good place for business. For fair business now, on a win-win basis, particularly in the field of technologies, including AI,” she said, while acknowledging the challenges of poverty and delays in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Touré welcomed the Africa Declaration on Artificial Intelligence, endorsed by 49 African countries in April 2025, aligned with the AU continental strategy of 2024.
This initiative, led by the African Union and Smart Africa, involves seven areas (talent, data, infrastructure, market, investment, governance, cooperation) and announces a $60 billion fund and an Africa AI Council. "African decision-makers aim to ensure that AI development is aligned with the continent's needs and faithfully reflects the perspectives of its people," she insisted, emphasizing the need to reduce dependence on imported technologies to ensure sovereignty. She illustrated her point with concrete examples: in Kenya, Twiga Foods optimizes supply chains with AI; in Nigeria, Nomba promotes financial inclusion; in South Africa, Harambee creates jobs via Digilink (75% of graduates employable). In education, tools like uLesson in Ghana and AI4D in West Africa (Bambara translation, sign language recognition) improve access in rural areas.
In health, KERA in Senegal integrates data for better care, while PROMPTS in Kenya answers 10,000-12,000 daily questions on maternal health at 74 cents per patient. On democracy, she cited Afriwitness in South Africa and the I Vote app in Ghana, while warning of the risks (surveillance, algorithmic bias). "The real challenge for Africa will be whether AI can be developed with real use cases that serve Africans, particularly young people, improve their lives and position Africa as a global leader in the AI era," she stressed.
In conclusion, Aminata Touré proposed adapting the Korean "ABCDE's of AI" (Algorithm, Business Case, Compute and Communication, Data, Electricity) model by adding an "F" for Funding, creating an ABCDF framework. She praised the "New Technological Deal" strategy launched by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye in February 2025, which focuses on digital sovereignty, the digitalization of public services, the digital economy, and African leadership. "I appeal to investors and developers from around the world to come to Africa. You could start in Senegal, known for its vibrant democracy and stability," she concluded, inviting a win-win partnership.
Commentaires (13)
Afrique au cœur Rek Nguéne guéne
Khalasse
Focus sur le developpement dans un avenir pas lointain.
DIEU est juste et a arbitré entre Vous et Macky qui n'ose même pas revenir au Sénégal.
En tout cas Macky Sall môme dafa périmé. 😂😂
Focus ,le meilleur reste à venir .ce n était pas pour rien que Macky sall t avait nommé premier ministre du Sénégal .ndax xamna sa capacité
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