The United States is urging African countries to build their logistics and trade infrastructure on American artificial intelligence systems, arguing that its technology offers stronger security, greater transparency and better protection of national data than competing ecosystems.
While speaking to journalists during the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) Logistics and Communications Symposium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, officials said artificial intelligence could “transform African logistics” through fleet prediction and demand forecasting that could hasten border processing through customs, “all critical for a continent whose competitiveness depends on the cost and reliability of moving goods, and for knitting together the AFCFTA single market.”
Mark Mitchell, deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Middle East and Africa at the International Trade Administration within the United States Department of Commerce said, “The real choice is not which chip or cloud to buy, but which ecosystem powers your growth for the next generation. Choose your ecosystem carefully and choose American”.
His remarks come as the US steps up efforts to win the competition with other global powers like China for influence over the continent’s fast-growing digital infrastructure and technology markets.
