UAE Launches $1B AI Initiative & Tech Firms Partner to Boost Africa's Digital Sector - December 2025

The United Arab Emirates has launched a $1 billion "AI for Development" initiative aimed at accelerating artificial intelligence adoption across African nations, supporting projects in digital infrastructure, education, and public services. In a separate move to strengthen infrastructure, Africa Data Centres has partnered with CSSi SA to enhance South Africa's digital capabilities by deploying racks and providing data sovereignty solutions. This collaboration aims to meet the growing demand for reliable data storage. In another partnership, Bolt and Gebeya have collaborated to provide affordable transportation for Africa's service workforce, starting in Kenya and Ghana to ease mobility challenges. Additionally, the Mauritius-based FinTech startup Black Swan has won the MEST Africa Challenge (MAC) 2025, a pan-African pitch competition focused on next-generation financial solutions.