AI-driven data consumption in Africa will quintuple over the next five years, predicted the CEO of Helios Towers, one of the continent’s largest telecoms infrastructure companies, saying the continent was on “the cusp of a real data boom.”
“We’re seeing that in our business already at the micro-level,” said Tom Greenwood, speaking at Semafor’s The Next 3 Billion summit on Wednesday, adding that he expected Africa to “really accelerate on AI.”
“If companies and governments harness [AI] in the right way, they’ll get a huge amount out of it,” he added.
Vivek Badrinath, director general of the GSMA global telecoms industry body, also highlighted the opportunities offered by advances in AI, including in the development of local content and translations to drive new mobile connections. More than 75% of sub-Saharan Africa’s population is not connected to mobile internet, according to GSMA.
“We’re seeing a movement toward putting training models in local languages, with the local culture,” Badrinath said.
He further pointed to the growing development of AI apps in sectors including health care and agriculture. “These are useful things that make the business case for someone to get a phone,” he said.