Google has announced a major investment of $37 million aimed at supporting artificial intelligence (AI) innovation, education, and infrastructure across Africa.
In a statement, the tech giant said the funding will help develop AI solutions for agriculture, support African languages, empower startups, and train thousands of young people in digital and AI-related skills. This fresh wave of funding includes previously unannounced commitments.
A big part of the funding will go into the AI Collaborative for Food Security, a new initiative supported by $25 million from Google.org. The project will bring together scientists, nonprofit groups, and researchers to develop AI tools for early detection of hunger, improving crop strength, and giving personalized support to small farmers. The aim is to make Africa’s food systems stronger and more fair, especially as climate change and economic challenges continue to affect the continent.
Google is also giving $3 million to the Masakhane Research Foundation. This group has been working on building AI tools for over 40 African languages. The grant will help create better data sets, translation tools, and speech software so that more Africans can access digital content in their mother tongues.
James Manyika, Google’s Senior Vice President for Research, Labs, and Technology & Society, said the company is proud to back African talent and innovation. “Africa is home to some of the most important and inspiring work in AI today,” he said. “We are committed to supporting the next wave of innovation through long-term investment, local partnerships, and platforms that help researchers and entrepreneurs build solutions that matter.”
To support innovation in different sectors, Google is also launching a new funding platform for AI-based startups. This initiative will support over 100 early-stage startups that are working in key areas like agriculture, education, health, and financial inclusion. These startups will receive funding, mentorship, and technical guidance from Google experts.
In addition, Google is opening a first-of-its-kind AI Community Center in Accra, Ghana. This space will provide free access to workshops, training, and networking events. It will focus on four key areas: AI literacy, community technology, social impact, and arts and culture. The center aims to be a hub for developers, creators, and students to explore AI in ways that reflect African values and priorities.
As part of its digital skills plan, Google is also offering 100,000 fully funded Google Career Certificate scholarships to university students in Ghana. These online, self-paced courses cover subjects like AI Essentials, IT Support, Prompting Essentials, Data Analytics, and Cybersecurity.
Google.org is also investing another $7 million to boost AI education in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Ghana. This money will go into supporting schools and NGOs that are building local AI training programs, as well as online safety and cybersecurity awareness.
Two research grants worth $1 million each have been awarded to African universities to strengthen research capacity. One goes to the African Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AfriDSAI) at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. The other goes to the Wits Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery (MIND) Institute, also in South Africa, to support MSc and PhD students doing foundational AI research.
Yossi Matias, Vice President of Engineering and Research at Google, said the company is investing because it believes in Africa’s future. “This new wave of support reflects our belief in the talent, creativity, and ingenuity across the continent,” he said. “By building with local communities and institutions, we’re supporting solutions that are rooted in Africa’s realities and built for global impact.”
Google has been working in Africa for years, with projects like AI-powered tools for maternal health in Nigeria and Ghana, wildfire alerts in East Africa, and local language models developed by teams in Nairobi and Accra.
These new efforts confirm Google’s long-term commitment to open research, shared infrastructure, and inclusive innovation that makes AI work for everyone.
