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AfricAI has officially launched in Nigeria, marking a significant milestone in Africa’s journey toward artificial intelligence sovereignty and innovation. The initiative is a joint venture formed by four global technology companies—Australia’s Lakeba Group, Nigeria’s Next Digital, United Arab Emirates’ AqlanX, and Netherlands’ Agentic Dynamic. This strategic collaboration aims to develop, deploy, and commercialize enterprise-grade AI solutions tailored specifically for African markets, starting with Nigeria as the flagship country.
AfricAI in Nigeria is designed to embed AI deeply into the continent’s technological fabric by focusing on localized development. Rather than importing AI technologies, AfricAI emphasizes building AI “within Africa, by Africans, for Africans.” This reflects a vision to ensure AI systems incorporate African contexts, cultures, and governance frameworks, contributing to sustainable digital sovereignty.
The venture will leverage Nigeria’s existing national data centres and edge infrastructure to deliver AI-powered solutions across multiple sectors. Initial projects spotlight healthcare technology, digital identity management, document automation, public administration improvements, enterprise services, and educational tools. The focus is on creating AI applications that enhance efficiency, security, and accessibility for Nigerian citizens and businesses alike.
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One notable feature of AfricAI’s approach is the integration of next-generation agentic AI architecture. This advanced technology enables flexible, automated systems that work alongside human operators in domains such as legal services, policy enforcement, human resources, and cybersecurity. It helps provide adaptable, explainable AI, which is vital for trust and governance in sensitive sectors.
AfricAI’s roadmap includes more than technology deployment. The venture is committed to building regional capacity by training over 100 AI professionals from Nigeria and neighboring countries. This skills development will occur at a planned Center of Excellence focusing on AI engineering, ethical AI use, cybersecurity, and AI model training. Such capacity building aims to nurture local expertise and reduce dependence on foreign AI specialists.
Moreover, AfricAI plans a continental expansion beyond Nigeria to countries like Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Rwanda by 2026. This expansion aligns with AfricAI’s ambition to create a distributed and trusted AI ecosystem across Africa that respects data sovereignty and supports interoperability among African nations.
The joint venture partners emphasize their complementary strengths: Lakeba Group contributes global AI intellectual property; Next Digital adds deep regional market knowledge; AqlanX brings digital trust and compliance expertise; and Agentic Dynamic supplies cutting-edge agentic AI architecture. Together, they are building a robust foundation for AI that is tailor-made for African markets and governance needs.
Key pilot projects within AfricAI in Nigeria target areas such as government services modernization, financial technology innovation, healthcare digitization, utilities management, and educational platforms. The initiative also supports secure, multilingual AI systems that comply with local regulations, further bolstering Nigeria’s, and by extension Africa’s, digital sovereignty.
High-level executives involved in AfricAI have expressed optimism about the venture. Prince Malik Ado-Ibrahim, Chairman of Next Digital, stated that AfricAI is about “building AI capacity within Africa,” with Nigeria providing the right foundation for long-term growth. Giuseppe Porcelli, CEO of Lakeba Group, highlighted the importance of creating a sustainable AI ecosystem rooted in African infrastructure and innovation. Demetrio Russo, CEO of AqlanX, emphasized digital trust as central to the venture’s mission, and Eren Sivaslı, Chairman of Agentic Dynamic, focused on scalable automation complementing human workflows.
