African Development Bank and UNDP Advance $10 Billion AI Initiative to Create 25 Million Jobs
The Bank Group and UNDP will begin with 5 countries, extending to 20 by the end of 2027, and invite governments, DFIs, private investors and philanthropies to join the initiative.
The AI 10 Billion Initiative has received a boost following a visit by a delegation from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to the African Development Bank Group to move from launch to delivery.
The AI 10 Billion Initiative is a co-designed partnership between the Bank Group, UNDP and private sector partners. By orchestrating $1 billion per year over the next decade, the initiative can contribute to 25 million new jobs by 2035.
The UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa’s delegation was led by Keyzom Ngodup Massally, Director of the AI Hub for Sustainable Development along with UNDP Platform for Investment and Technical Assistance (PISTA).
The mission follows the initiative’s launch at the Nairobi AI Forum in February 2026, and the ongoing implementation of the Africa Accelerator for Digital Public Infrastructure (AA4DPI) initiative.
The Bank’s 2025 report, Africa’s AI Productivity Gain, projects that inclusive AI adoption could add up to USD 1 trillion to Africa’s GDP by 2035. Fifty-eight percent lies in five sectors that shape young Africans’ daily lives: agriculture, wholesale and retail, manufacturing, finance, and health. With more than 300 million young Africans set to enter working age within ten years, productivity is the measure that matters.
“Productivity is one of the key measures by which the African Development Bank Group judges the promise of artificial intelligence. Through AI 10 Billion, and in partnership with UNDP, we will align public and private capital behind that objective, so that the benefits of AI translate into competitiveness, employment and inclusive growth across the continent.”
– Solomon Quaynor, Vice-President for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization, African Development Bank
Capital for the energy, data and skills that AI depends on already exists across governments, development finance institutions (DFIs) and private investors. What is needed is a shared focus. The Bank Group brings the evidence base, financing and its relationships with 54 regional member countries. UNDP brings its country presence and technical expertise through the AI Hub for Sustainable Development, of which the Bank is a member.
In each country, AI 10 Billion will work at three stages: diagnosing productivity opportunities through a single country analysis; identifying and preparing public and private projects until they are ready for financing; and convening a partnership investment platform that brings governments, investors and regional economic communities together.
The Bank Group and UNDP will begin with 5 countries, extending to 20 by the end of 2027, and invite governments, DFIs, private investors and philanthropies to join the initiative.
