Farmers in Tanzania are using an AI-enabled app that works in their native language, Swahili, to detect devastating cassava diseases before they spread. Computer scientists in South Africa built a machine learning model to analyze the impact of racial discrimination in housing. And in Nairobi, Kenya, AI classifies images from thousands of surveillance cameras mounted on lampposts in a busy city center.
The expected benefits of AI adoption for African economies are enormous. Estimates suggest that just four African countries – Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa – could see economic benefits worth up to $136 billion by 2030 if businesses started using more AI tools.
Now the 55-member African Union is preparing an ambitious AI policy that envisions an African-centric path for the development and regulation of this emerging technology. But debates over when AI regulation should make sense and concerns about stifling innovation can be obstacles, and a lack of AI infrastructure can delay adoption of the technology. Read the full story.
— Abdullahi Chani
Brazil is fighting dengue fever with mosquitoes infected with the bacteria.
As dengue cases continue to rise in Brazil, the country is facing a large-scale public health crisis. This viral disease, spread by mosquitoes, will infect more than 1 million Brazilians in 2024 alone, overwhelming hospitals.
The dengue crisis is the result of two major factors colliding. This year's wet and warm weather has led to a surge in the population of mosquitoes that spread dengue fever. Coincidentally, this is also the year when all four types of dengue fever viruses are prevalent. Few people are immune to all of them.