In a recent announcement, the Africa Cybersecurity and AI Foundation (ACAIF) announced that it will train 1,000 entrepreneurs across Africa in a new cybersecurity challenge. This initiative seeks to increase the use of AI across all business entities.
Also read: Contemplating the Role of AI in Africa’s Agricultural Future
Evalyn Oloo, founder and CEO of Acyberschool, outlined the strategic plans for the AACF and CAAP seminar at the University of Nairobi’s Chiromo Campus. She said the initiative will be a game changer for entrepreneurs and students.
“The Cybersecurity and AI Challenge is for innovators, entrepreneurs, and researchers working on novel ideas in cyber security or AI. So it doesn’t have to be AI; it can be AI in agriculture or anything else that is solving a problem for Kenya, for East Africa, for Africa, or even for the world at large.”
One-Year Fellowship for Cybersecurity Students
The announcement further states that Cybersecurity and AI students shall be awarded a one-year fellowship grant. This is aimed at enhancing their experience and creating more job openings in the field.
“As a foundation, what we are doing across the continent is capacity building and connecting that capacity to meaningful engagements. We have training in terms of scaling individuals who are able to support institutions to better their cyber security posture.
Evalyn Oloo
Oloo highlighted that ACAIF plays a critical role in connecting academic knowledge to real-life cybersecurity issues. By providing practical experience and skills to the final year students and fresh graduates, the foundation plans to strengthen cybersecurity and AI capacity in Africa.
Africa’s AI Market Surges
Statista predicts that the AI market will continue to expand rapidly, with the market size expected to reach $3.70 billion in 2024. The market has been projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28.34% during the period between 2024 and 2030. Additionally, the volume of the market is expected to reach $16.53 billion by the end of the decade.
Also read: African Economies at Risk of Falling Behind in the AI Revolution
According to the 2024 Stanford AI Index data shows that 27 percent of Kenyans use ChatGPT daily, placing the country third globally. This statistic demonstrates the increased use and application of AI technologies in the daily lives of Kenyans.
Google trends data also supports this rising interest, with AI-related searches in Africa having risen by 270% in the last year alone. This rise in consumer interest illustrates the increasing digitization and technology uptake across the African region. Meta Platforms recently announced that it has expanded its AI service, known as meta AI, to Nigeria and eleven other countries.
Cryptopolitan reporting by Brenda Kanana