The AI 10 Billion Initiative marks the next step in the Bank’s efforts to advance Africa’s AI agenda, foster innovation, create jobs for youth and women, and increase Africa’s GDP by an estimated $1 trillion by 2035.
African Development Bank Group (African Development Bank Group) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) The AI 10 Billion Initiative has launched a transformative continental drive to accelerate responsible artificial intelligence adoption and inclusive digital economic growth across Africa.
The announcement was made at the recent Nairobi AI Forum 2026 held in Kenya on February 9-10, 2026. The forum brought together government and private sector leaders, development partners, and technology innovators to chart a path to impactful AI adoption.
The AI 10 Billion Initiative is a partnership co-designed by the World Bank Group, UNDP, and private partners that aims to mobilize up to $10 billion by 2035. These resources will be deployed to create up to 40 million new jobs across the continent by 2035 through targeted investments that build the AI foundation and foster widespread adoption, from entrepreneurship and local data infrastructure to policy frameworks and skills development. This mechanism directly responds to the core themes of the Nairobi AI Forum, which emphasized AI adoption based on trust, local value creation, capacity building, and sustainable development impact.
The AI 10 Billion Initiative builds on the World Bank Group’s June 2025 report, “Improving AI Productivity in Africa: Pathways to Labor Efficiency, Economic Growth, and Inclusive Transformation,” which outlines a three-step roadmap for an AI-enabled roadmap based on activating five interrelated enablers: data, computing, skills, trust, and capital. This framework is in line with discussions at the Nairobi AI Forum, where experts highlighted the need for interoperable data ecosystems, ethical AI governance, investment mobilization, and workforce upskilling. Investments will be directed to enable proof-of-concept projects through equity and resilience across debt financing, establishing Africa as a hub for AI innovation and inclusive opportunity.
The announcement was made at a high-level panel with representatives from the governments of Italy and Kenya, the European Union, UNDP and the World Bank Group.
“As a leading multilateral development institution, the World Bank is leveraging its comparative advantages to ensure that Africa is not left behind in the AI era. The AI 10 Billion Initiative paves the way for expanded partnerships and sustained investments that accelerate AI entrepreneurship, strengthen data and infrastructure ecosystems, and support inclusive growth across the continent.”
– Nicholas Williams, ICT Operations Manager African Development Bank Group
Jean-Luc Staron, UNDP Resident Representative in Kenya, highlighted UNDP’s pivotal role in reimagining and advancing concrete private sector-led AI partnerships aimed at creating jobs and improving livelihoods across communities.
The AI 10 Billion Initiative marks the next step in the Bank’s efforts to advance Africa’s AI agenda, foster innovation, create jobs for youth and women, and deliver an estimated $1 trillion increase in Africa’s GDP by 2035. To advance this initiative, the Bank will embark on a roadshow over the next 10 months, working with governments, private sector actors, and development partners to forge new partnerships.
