Maggie Gu, director of the Tomorrow Foundation, told an audience of policymakers and tech executives this week that Africa risks being left behind in the artificial intelligence revolution unless it shifts focus from receiving aid to building domestic expertise. Gu spoke at a forum on continental technology strategy, arguing that funding alone will not close the gap between Africa and regions already leading in AI development.
The Case Against More Aid
Gu opened her address by challenging a prevailing assumption in international technology funding. Donors have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into African tech hubs over the past decade, she noted, yet the continent still produces fewer than 5% of the world's AI research papers. "Throwing money at the problem has not worked," Gu told attendees. "What Africa needs is a workforce that can build, not just use, these systems."
The Tomorrow Foundation, a nonprofit that supports technology education across 14 countries, has spent the last three years studying why AI aid programmes consistently fail to produce lasting results. Gu cited internal data showing that 78% of AI projects funded by foreign grants in sub-Saharan Africa collapsed within two years of the funding cycle ending. The pattern, she argued, points to a fundamental misunderstanding of what African nations actually require.
What Skills-First Development Looks Like
Rather than importing ready-made AI solutions, Gu called on African governments to invest directly in university programmes, vocational training, and apprenticeship schemes tailored to machine learning and data infrastructure. She pointed to Rwanda and Ghana as examples where government-backed curriculum reforms have produced measurable results in the past 18 months. Graduates from these programmes, she said, are already filling roles at regional tech firms that previously hired exclusively from overseas.
The message resonated with representatives from Nigeria's tech sector, who attended the forum virtually. Lagos-based software companies have struggled to fill senior AI engineering positions, with local hiring meeting only about 30% of demand, according to industry surveys. Gu acknowledged the gap but insisted that solving it requires long-term planning, not quick fixes.
Why the Continent Cannot Wait
Global competition for AI talent has intensified sharply since 2023. The United States, China, and the European Union have each committed billions to attract skilled workers and build domestic compute infrastructure. Gu warned that Africa faces a narrowing window to establish itself before AI capabilities become concentrated in a handful of nations. "Once that lock-in happens, it will be very difficult for African economies to compete," she said.
The Tomorrow Foundation has proposed a continent-wide skills framework it calls the African AI Corps, modelled partly on successful national apprenticeship programmes in Germany and South Korea. Under the proposal, participating governments would commit to training a minimum of 10,000 AI engineers per country over the next five years. So far, three nations have signalled preliminary interest, though formal commitments remain pending.
Funding Remains a Sticking Point
Not all observers at the forum shared Gu's optimism about a skills-first approach. Representatives from international development banks argued that aid and skills investment are not mutually exclusive. Building expertise takes time, they noted, and African nations still need immediate support to participate in the current AI landscape. Gu acknowledged the point but maintained that without a shift in strategy, aid simply subsidises dependence.
The debate reflects a broader tension in how African governments approach technology policy. Several nations have launched national AI strategies in recent years, but implementation has lagged behind ambition. Gu attributed the gap partly to a reliance on external consultants and partly to a failure to invest in the people who will actually execute those strategies.
What Comes Next
The Tomorrow Foundation plans to publish its full skills framework report next month. The document will include detailed cost estimates, curriculum recommendations, and case studies from programmes already underway in East Africa. Gu said she hopes the report will give African governments a practical starting point rather than another abstract strategy document.
Whether the foundation's proposals gain traction will depend on whether African leaders are willing to restructure how they allocate technology funding. That decision, Gu noted, will shape the continent's place in the global economy for decades to come. Watch this space for the report's release and any commitments from finance or education ministries across the continent.
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Building expertise takes time, they noted, and African nations still need immediate support to participate in the current AI landscape. Gu acknowledged the point but maintained that without a shift in strategy, aid simply subsidises dependence.The debate reflects a broader tension in how African governments approach technology policy.
