Will Africa's Demography Shape Its AI Future? A Perspective For African Innovators, Entrepreneurs and Leaders

As the world revolves and changes its globalization to meet artificial intelligence, the rising generation is set to be at the core of this rapid advancement.

The full potential of this Artificial Intelligence can be fully explored by bringing into light strategic infrastructure, investment in human resources and a calculated insight and initiative that will drive its young investors and innovators to the front line. With Africa having over 60% of its population under 25 years of age, the continent stands at the verge of a demographic opportunity which could restructure its economic and technological prosperity.

This promised future heavily depends on a thoughtful and conscious planning backed up with a bold step to act. With cities in Africa like Lagos,Nairobi and Accra already becoming the centers for innovative impact, the coast is already clear. Unlike the increasing dependent population in Europe and Asia, if provided with the appropriate tools, the African soil will,in the nearest future,stand as a forefront for unlocking the full capacity and advantages the Artificial Intelligence brings.The rich cultural diversity and language variety gives the continent an upper hand in establishing AI structures tailored to grassroot needs ranging from healthcare to education to agriculture and so on.

The potential of Artificial Intelligence is greatly hindered by the reality of limited access to resources such as proper education and low availability of technological resources and the impact of the emergence of AI on Africa's soil would be far reaching.Startup ventures such as Nigeria's u lesson and Kenya's Twiga Foods are already adopting and utilizing the Artificial Intelligence to improve education supply.

The circulated emergence of AI in Africa is linked to jobs creation and tackling existing barriers such as defense, equitable food supply and climate resilience. A properly structured AI technique could increase Africa's GDP to billions by 2030 driven by sectors like fintech and e- commerce.The development of AI have also proven to become unequal in its impact as the urban centers continue reaping benefits while the rural areas not advancing.

Africa's young innovators and entrepreneurs are ever ready to experiment and build thesis with AI ranging from developing chat centers in local languages and creating predictive techniques for agricultural activities. Ghana and South Africa are gradually becoming technological centers and are attracting attention from all over the world.The continent's expansive data resources such as increased mobile usage and social media engagements are providing a great deal of opportunity for experimenting AI samples.This makes Africa not just a consumer but also a creator, potentially exporting solved problems globally.

Power shortages, insufficient funding for tech startups as well as poor Internet connectivity which according to the international Telecommunication Union,places only about 36% of Africans using the Internet. All these form a very significant barrier for technological advancements. On the other side,all these barriers as mentioned form an avenue for investments in renewable energy which are capable of powering digital infrastructure, while public- private partnerships are able to finance training hubs.

Enacted regulations which would support local innovation,recommending that the governments collaborate with global tech innovators and entrepreneurs to build structures for tech advancement.The recommended solution is a vast one. Government must make infrastructural development a priority,then educational centers must inculcate AI literacy into curricula,empowering the young ones with viable skills. Encouraging an ecosystem of investments through tax reliefs and grants will also go a long way to promote entrepreneurship.

African leaders should advocate and invest in data supremacy, ensuring that local cultures are protected by enabling AI developments.By leveraging it's demographic divided and investing in the right places, Africa can restructure a future in Artificial Intelligence that is inclusive, innovative and unique to its own soil.