AfDB and UNDP Launch $10 Billion Initiative to Drive AI Adoption and Job Creation in Africa
The AI 10 Billion Initiative marks the next step in the Bank’s commitment to advance Africa’s AI agenda, promoting innovation, creating jobs for youth and women, and unlocking an estimated $1 trillion increase to Africa’s GDP by 2035.
The African Development Bank Group (the Bank Group) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have launched the AI 10 Billion Initiative, a transformative continental drive to accelerate responsible artificial intelligence adoption and inclusive digital economic growth across Africa.
The announcement was made during the recent Nairobi AI Forum 2026, held 9-10 February 2026 in Kenya, which brought together governments, private sector leaders, development partners and tech innovators to chart pathways for AI adoption with impact.
The AI 10 Billion Initiative is a co-designed partnership between the Bank Group, UNDP and private partners that seeks to mobilise up to $10 billion by 2035. These resources will be deployed to unlock up to 40 million new jobs across the continent by 2035, via targeted investments that build AI foundations and catalyse broad-based adoption — from entrepreneurship and regional data infrastructure to policy frameworks and skills development. This mechanism responds directly to the core themes of the Nairobi AI Forum, which emphasised AI adoption grounded in trust, local value creation, capacity building and sustainable development impact.
The AI 10 Billion Initiative is guided by the Bank Group’s June 2025 report, Africa’s AI Productivity Gain: Pathways to Labour Efficiency, Economic Growth and Inclusive Transformation, which outlines a three-phase roadmap toward AI readiness roadmap anchored on the activation of five interlinked enablers: data, compute, skills, trust, and capital. This framework aligns with discussions at the Nairobi AI Forum, where experts underscored the need for interoperable data ecosystems, ethical AI governance, investment mobilisation, and workforce upskilling. Investments will be channeled to enable proof-of-concept projects through equity and resilience across debt financing, establishing Africa as a hub of AI innovation and inclusive opportunity.
The announcement was made during a high-level panel featuring representatives of the governments of Italy and Kenya, the European Union, UNDP and the Bank Group.
“As a leading multilateral development institution, the Bank is leveraging its comparative advantage to ensure Africa is not left behind in the AI era. The AI 10 Billion Initiative paves the way for expanded partnerships and sustained investment that will accelerate AI entrepreneurship, strengthen data and infrastructure ecosystems, and support inclusive growth across the continent.”
– Nicholas Williams, ICT Operations Division Manager, The African Development Bank Group
Jean-Luc Stalon, UNDP Resident Representative in Kenya, underscored UNDP’s pivotal role in reimagining and advancing concrete, private sector–driven AI partnerships designed to create jobs and improve livelihoods across communities.
The AI 10 Billion Initiative marks the next step in the Bank’s commitment to advance Africa’s AI agenda, promoting innovation, creating jobs for youth and women, and unlocking an estimated $1 trillion increase to Africa’s GDP by 2035. To advance the initiative, the Bank will embark on a roadshow over the next 10 months to engage governments, private sector players, and development partners to forge new partnerships.
