Education enthusiasts and AI advocates gathered at the official launch of the ‘AFRICA AI UPSKILLING PROGRAMME’ (AAUP) on August 10, 2026, at the University of Lagos, Nigeria.
At the invite-only event, FATE Foundation launched its initiative in partnership with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), which was supported by Google.
At the start of the program, Matita Arize, Sub-Saharan Africa Program Manager at Google, set the tone by relaying the motivation behind Google’s deep commitment to enriching and empowering young African talent across the continent.
“Africa currently accounts for the lowest proportion of AI scholars and researchers compared to developed economies.” She said, “If we do not intervene decisively today, the rapid acceleration of AI risks widening the digital divide. The choices we make right now will determine whether Africa leads in the AI revolution or is left behind.”
She also shared the need for in-depth AI education to be baked into the learning curriculum of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), where young leaders spend their formative years and have their worldviews shaped.
