Hi Ayodele here,

Over the past week, AI’s potential impact on Africa came into sharper focus. The African Development Bank highlighted AI as a trillion-dollar opportunity for the continent, new funding was announced to scale AI-powered education, and platforms are emerging to help African creators use AI to compete globally. Together, these developments point to AI moving closer to everyday economic life across Africa.

Let us get into it. In this edition:

• AI could add up to $1 trillion to Africa’s GDP, says AfDB report

• ADQ and Gates Foundation commit $40M to expand AI-powered education in Africa

• Cassava and Gebeya launch AI platform to empower African creators

Around Africa

AI could add up to $1 trillion to Africa’s GDP, says AfDB report

A new African Development Bank report estimates that artificial intelligence could add up to $1 trillion to Africa’s GDP over the coming years. The report highlights AI’s potential to transform sectors like agriculture, finance, healthcare, and public services.

It emphasizes productivity gains driven by automation, data-driven decision-making, and digital platforms. However, the AfDB also notes that infrastructure gaps, limited compute access, and skills shortages remain major constraints. Strategic investments in data centers, education, and regional AI policy coordination are seen as critical enablers. The report positions AI as a core pillar of Africa’s long-term economic growth strategy.

Why it matters:

This frames AI not as a future experiment but as a major economic lever for Africa. It strengthens the case for governments and investors to prioritize AI infrastructure and talent development now. Without deliberate action, the projected gains could be unevenly distributed or missed entirely.

ADQ and Gates Foundation commit $40M to expand AI-powered education in Africa

ADQ and the Gates Foundation have announced a $40 million partnership to expand AI-powered education technology across sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative will focus on improving learning outcomes through adaptive learning tools, data-driven education systems, and teacher support platforms.

It aims to address challenges like overcrowded classrooms and uneven access to quality instruction. The partnership will work with local governments and education providers to scale solutions sustainably. A strong emphasis is placed on inclusion and reaching underserved communities. This marks one of the larger coordinated AI investments in African education to date.

Why it matters:

Education is a foundational layer for Africa’s AI future. By using AI to improve learning at scale, this initiative tackles the skills gap that often limits technology adoption. It also signals growing confidence from global institutions in Africa’s edtech ecosystem.

Cassava and Gebeya launch AI platform to empower African creators

Cassava Technologies and Gebeya have launched an AI-powered creator platform designed to support African digital talent. The platform connects creators with AI tools, training, and market opportunities to monetize their skills globally.

It focuses on areas such as content creation, design, and software-related services. By integrating AI into creative workflows, the platform aims to boost productivity and global competitiveness. It also provides structured pathways for upskilling and professional growth. The launch reflects a shift toward empowering individual creators, not just enterprises, with AI.

Why it matters:

This moves AI access closer to everyday African creators and freelancers. It helps local talent compete in global digital markets while retaining value within the continent. Over time, platforms like this could redefine how Africa participates in the global creative and digital economy.

Around the world

OpenAI Launches an App Store for ChatGPT

OpenAI has introduced an app store style directory and SDK for ChatGPT, allowing developers to build, publish, and distribute AI-powered tools directly inside the platform. The move makes ChatGPT a central hub for third-party AI apps, from productivity tools to specialized agents. Developers can now reach users without building standalone products. This signals OpenAI’s push to turn ChatGPT into a full ecosystem, not just a chatbot.

OpenAI Unveils New Flagship Image Model GPT Image 1.5B

OpenAI has released GPT Image 1.5, its most advanced image generation model yet, promising higher realism, better text rendering, and improved prompt understanding. The model is designed to compete directly with top image generators while integrating seamlessly into OpenAI’s API and products. It improves consistency across styles and complex scenes. This upgrade strengthens OpenAI’s position in multimodal AI creation.

Google Makes Gemini 3 Flash the Default Model

Google has launched Gemini 3 Flash and made it the default model in the Gemini app, focusing on faster responses and lower compute costs. The model is optimized for everyday tasks like writing, summarizing, and coding assistance. By prioritizing speed and efficiency, Google aims to scale AI usage to a broader audience. This update reflects Google’s strategy to balance performance with accessibility.

Around the Web - Top Picks

• Venture Capitalists on Why Many Consumer AI Startups Lack Staying Power: At TechCrunch Disrupt, VCs and founders discussed why many AI consumer startups struggle to sustain growth despite funding influx. Panelists noted that many tools focus on novelty rather than solving real pain points, leading to early hype but weak retention. Others observed that unit economics, distribution challenges, and lack of defensibility make it hard to build a long-term business. Successful startups, the group said, must anchor AI around clear user problems and measurable value. Read the full article: Venture Capitalists on Why Many Consumer AI Startups Lack Staying Power

• Merriam-Webster Names “Slop” the Word of the Year: Merriam-Webster has a new Word of the Year: “slop”, driven by social media usage and its broadened meaning beyond literal messiness. The dictionary notes increased searches tying the word to cultural, political, and online discussion contexts. Lexicographers point to meme culture and AI-generated content playing a role in how “slop” was popularized this year. The announcement reflects how language evolves in response to digital, creative, and generative tech influences. Read the full article: Merriam-Webster Names “Slop” the Word of the Year

Seen This?

Upcoming African AI Events

APAIC 2025: Africa AI Leadership & Policy Summit
Date: December 21–25, 2025
Location: Mombasa, Kenya
Theme: Bringing together digital leaders, regulators, finance institutions, universities, and innovation heads to discuss data standards, cyber security, policy, AI infrastructure, and AI applications in public services, healthcare, agriculture and finance
Link: APAIC 2025

International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Data Engineering (ICCIDE‑2025)
Date: December 24, 2025
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Focus: Computational intelligence, data engineering and related research and an opportunity for AI/data‑science oriented work.
Link: ICCIDE‑2025

AI Job Opportunities

• Elixirr Digital - AI/LLM Ops Engineer, South Africa

• MBN Solutions - AI Platform Engineer, South Africa

• All Cares - AI Engineer, Kenya

• Carbon - Data and Automation Engineer, Nigeria

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