At the recently concluded Africa Soft Power Summit 2025, global tech giants Google and Meta urged African stakeholders to prioritize AI sovereignty by developing data and technology systems rooted in the continent’s languages, cultures, and unique challenges.
Speaking at the summit held from May 21 to 25, Lorna Omondi, Partnerships Lead at Google Research Africa, emphasized the importance of training AI models on African datasets and ensuring multilingual access to serve underserved communities. “AI must solve the problems that matter most to African users in agriculture, healthcare, energy, and legal services,” she said, highlighting Google’s commitment to sourcing local language data and enabling African startups to innovate on shared foundations.
Echoing this call, Kojo Boakye, Meta’s Vice President of Public Policy for Africa, the Middle East, and Türkiye, stressed the urgency for Africa to move beyond being mere consumers of AI technologies to becoming co-creators and global contributors in the AI space.
The summit, now in its fourth edition, brought together leaders, innovators, policymakers, and investors from across Africa to discuss themes of economic self-determination, AI governance, and digital inclusion. Experts warned against allowing Africa to become a testing ground for unregulated AI and biotech products, calling instead for robust governance frameworks and AI literacy initiatives tailored to the continent’s needs.
Edwin Macharia, co-founder of Axum.Earth, highlighted the need for economic nationalism and local leadership in funding African startups to build sustainable, billion-dollar businesses rooted in cooperation rather than foreign dependence.
The event also showcased initiatives like Meta’s Llama Impact Grant, aimed at supporting African startups and researchers leveraging open-source AI models to address regional challenges.
As Africa seeks to harness AI’s potential to boost its economy, projected by the UNDP to add $1.2 trillion by 2030, participants underscored the need for strategic investments in talent, infrastructure, and policies that foster innovation and ethical AI development.
The Africa Soft Power Summit 2025 thus reinforced a growing continental momentum toward AI sovereignty, digital empowerment, and sustainable technological growth driven by African voices and priorities.
