Smart Africa and MeetKai Launch Five-Country Sovereign AI Pilot at MWC2026
The pilot represents a strategic effort to ensure that African nations retain ownership and control over their artificial intelligence ecosystems, including data, models, and deployment frameworks.
At Mobile World Congress 2026 (MWC2026) in Barcelona, Smart Africa and MeetKai Inc. announced a landmark five-country pilot programme aimed at accelerating the development of Sovereign AI across Africa. The initiative was unveiled by Smart Africa CEO Lacina Koné alongside MeetKai CEO James Kaplan.
The pilot represents a strategic effort to ensure that African nations retain ownership and control over their artificial intelligence ecosystems, including data, models, and deployment frameworks. The collaboration is designed to align AI development with national laws, institutional structures, and broader development priorities across participating countries.
Implemented under the Africa AI Council framework, the initiative will support Member States in deploying AI systems tailored to local needs. The programme focuses on enabling AI solutions that support African languages, strengthen public institutions, and drive transformation across key sectors such as education, healthcare, agriculture, and citizen services.
A core objective of the pilot is to safeguard data sovereignty while empowering governments to build and manage AI capabilities that reflect local contexts and national interests.
