AI 10 Billion: the plan to turn Africa's AI promise into jobs gets moving

Abidjan — A plan to put artificial intelligence to work for Africa's productivity is moving from launch to delivery, the African Development Bank (AfDB) said, after a visit to its headquarters by a delegation from the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

The AI 10 Billion Initiative, designed by the bank, UNDP and private partners and launched at the Nairobi AI Forum in February 2026, aims to line up $1 billion a year over the next decade. The bank says that could contribute to 25 million new jobs by 2035.

Why productivity

The bank's 2025 report, Africa's AI Productivity Gain, estimates that inclusive use of AI could add up to $1 trillion to Africa's GDP by 2035. Some 58% of that potential lies in five sectors that shape young Africans' daily lives: agriculture, wholesale and retail, manufacturing, finance and health. More than 300 million young Africans will reach working age within ten years.

"Productivity is one of the key measures by which the African Development Bank Group judges the promise of artificial intelligence," said Solomon Quaynor, the bank's vice-president for private sector, infrastructure and industrialisation.

How it will work

The money for the energy, data and skills that AI needs already exists among governments, development lenders and private investors, the bank says; what is missing is a shared focus. In each country the initiative will:

1. Diagnose where AI can raise productivity, in a single country analysis 2. Prepare public and private projects until they are ready for financing 3. Bring governments, investors and regional economic communities together on an investment platform

It will start in five countries and reach 20 by the end of 2027. The UNDP delegation was led by Keyzom Ngodup Massally, director of the AI Hub for Sustainable Development, of which the bank is a member.

Source: African Development Bank, via allAfrica, 14 October 2026.