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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the GSMA have announced a strategic partnership to strengthen Africa’s artificial intelligence ecosystem and speed up the rollout of African-led AI solutions. This includes AI in African languages.
Under the partnership, the two organisations will connect local talent with opportunities to build and deploy AI tools that respond to Africa’s priorities. They say this should help more people and businesses benefit from the continent’s digital transformation.
The partnership will run through UNDP’s timbuktoo initiative, which supports African innovators in scaling development solutions.
UNDP and GSMA will work to improve access to computing infrastructure for priority AI pilots, and to link African talent with real-world AI uses.
They will also back the deployment of locally built AI solutions and look for ways to keep them running and growing over the long term.
Aissata De, Officer-in-Charge and Regional Director for Africa at UNDP, and Angela Wamola, Head of Africa at GSMA, exchanged signed copies of the agreement.
“Africa has the talent and creativity to shape the future of artificial intelligence. Through this partnership, we will help connect innovators to the infrastructure, skills and opportunities needed to develop and scale AI solutions that address Africa’s priorities and create opportunities for young people across the continent,” says Aissata De, Officer-in-Charge and Regional Director for Africa at UNDP.
UNDP is the United Nations agency that works to end poverty, inequality and climate change. It operates in 170 countries, working with experts and partners to build lasting solutions for people and the planet.
“Africa’s AI future must be shaped by its own talent and reflect the languages and needs of its communities. The mobile industry has an important role to play in helping locally developed solutions reach the people and businesses that can benefit from them. By bringing together the GSMA’s industry networks and UNDP’s innovation platforms, this partnership will help African innovators move from promising pilots towards sustainable services that support inclusive digital and economic growth,” says Angela Wamola, Head of Africa at GSMA.
The GSMA is a global organisation that unites the mobile industry. It represents mobile operators and other organisations across the mobile ecosystem. Its work covers policy, tackling social challenges, the technology and interoperability behind mobile, and events such as MWC and M360.
The partnership will draw on talent and expertise from both networks, including UNDP’s University Innovation Pods (UniPods) network, AI Labs, universities and other ecosystem partners.
The collaboration aligns with the GSMA’s wider work on African-language AI through ATLAS Umoja AI, launched with government and industry partners in July 2026.
The collaboration will also bring together talent and resources from GSMA, UNDP, the UniPods network, AI Labs, universities, and other partners to speed up the development and implementation of AI solutions throughout Africa.
