AGP Executive Report

Digital Identity: Benin, Ghana and Rwanda have completed the first phase of a pilot linking national ID systems for cross-border checks, without creating a shared central database. Health Research: AfDB funding is supporting 20 Ghanaian postgraduate researchers studying diagnostics, treatments and vaccines for diseases including TB, HIV and drug-resistant infections. Cybersecurity: Nigeria’s Ports Authority warned that attacks on increasingly connected port systems could disrupt trade, urging African ports to share intelligence and strengthen staff training. Energy: ECOWAS ministers are considering regional rules for battery storage to help integrate solar power and coordinate electricity markets. Ebola Response: Cases have spread to more African countries, while the latest strain has no vaccine; Uganda is among the countries trialling a vaccine as the outbreak grows.

Health & Research: Ebola cases are being reported across several African countries, prompting renewed calls for stronger regional surveillance. A South African AI innovation has also won global recognition for speeding medicine and vaccine trials. Homegrown Engineering: Steinmüller Africa has delivered a locally designed and manufactured high-pressure heater to a South African power station, a milestone for domestic engineering that can improve plant efficiency. AI & Digital Infrastructure: The World Bank, Cassava and Nvidia are backing an Africa-focused AI computing push, as calls grow for the continent to build and own more of its AI technology. Water Security: Chinese firms are expanding desalination and filtration projects in Africa; one project in Tanzania is being built to serve more than 450,000 people.

Digital Identity: Benin, Ghana and Rwanda are advancing a cross-border digital ID pilot, a step toward smoother identity checks across the region. AI in Education: Ghana’s University of Ghana vice-chancellor says universities should test students’ reasoning and practical skills as AI makes essays easier to generate. African AI Capacity: The World Bank Group has named Cassava Technologies and Nvidia as partners in an initiative to expand AI computing in Africa. Health Technology: Nairobi’s Kenyatta National Hospital has performed Africa’s first tube-free windpipe reconstruction. Climate Research: A new study warns African bat conservation plans must account for cave roosts as well as changing climate conditions. Circular Economy: Researchers say repair, reuse and recycling are already part of everyday life across Africa, but policy support is needed to scale these practices.

Digital Access: The World Bank has launched its first digital strategy, targeting affordable connectivity, devices, skills and services to help developing countries create jobs and adopt AI. AI Infrastructure: The Bank has also named Cassava Technologies and Nvidia as partners in a push to expand AI computing in Africa. Agritech: Smartphone AI tools that count plants and assess crop health were presented at an international symposium in Accra, offering African breeders a more affordable way to collect field data. AI and Money: In South Africa, 48% of working people say they use general AI chatbots for financial guidance, compared with 40% who consult an adviser — raising questions about accuracy, privacy and consumer safeguards. Digital Jobs: A new Ghana partnership aims to connect students with paid projects, mentorship and digital-skills training to improve routes into work and entrepreneurship.

Renewable Energy: Africa’s wind capacity has reached 11.1GW, but three countries account for nearly 90% of it. A further 186GW is in development; weak grids, financing and power-purchase frameworks remain major barriers. AI Capacity: Nigerian experts warn that power shortages, limited computing infrastructure and skills gaps could prevent the country from turning AI adoption into local economic gains. Climate Science: ACMAD, the World Meteorological Organization and the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences have launched a summer school to train researchers in AI for weather and climate modelling. Health Innovation: Amref International University has opened a hub to help African innovators test, fund and scale locally developed healthcare solutions. Digital Health: New reporting highlights how mapping tools could help find millions of African children missing routine vaccinations, while fridge-free vaccine options still face practical hurdles in local settings.

AI Strategy: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa plans to take officials, researchers and business leaders to Silicon Valley to explore how AI can support the country’s development. Maternal Health: MTN and the Gates Foundation are investing $25 million in an AI and connectivity partnership aiming to improve care for 500,000 Nigerian women by 2030. Cybercrime: Meta says it removed more than 3.7 million accounts tied to scam networks in Ghana and Nigeria; raids in Ghana also freed 117 people allegedly forced to work in scam operations. Financial Technology: A study of 142 institutions across five North African countries linked AI adoption with stronger risk management, while noting the findings do not prove cause and effect. Health Research: Researchers have identified a genetic contributor to heart failure among people of African ancestry, underscoring the value of research that reflects African populations. Digital Access: Fridge-free vaccines could help reach more communities, but practical hurdles remain in African settings.

Vaccine Research: Ghana’s Kintampo Health Research Centre has started a Phase 1b trial of an Oxford-developed Lassa fever vaccine with 51 healthy adults, a step towards protection against a disease found in West Africa. AI & Elections: Yiaga Africa and ECOWAS have validated guidelines for using AI in election administration, as Nigeria prepares for its 2027 vote; a locally developed election chatbot won a forum’s innovation prize. Child Safety: Faith leaders, technology experts and policymakers met in Nairobi to discuss AI’s risks to young people and the safeguards needed to protect them. Research Partnerships: Kenya and the EU are exploring stronger science and innovation ties, including research funding, technology transfer and turning discoveries into products. Energy Storage: BYD plans new battery-storage service centres in South Africa in 2027, with local engineer training among the services offered. Climate-Smart Farming: Nigerian research found agroecological practices improved yields and resilience across four regions, while supporting soil health, nutrition and biodiversity.

African AI: Nairobi startups Neural Labs Africa and Me-Nasoma won Meta’s AI pitch contest, earning $5,000 each. Their tools support remote radiology and turn documents into audio in local languages. Language Tech: AI can translate Hausa words but still misses their meaning, highlighting the challenge of building systems that understand local context. Digital Safety: A South African website built with AI was hacked six days after launch, while local users report frequent AI use but uneven safety habits. Space & Connectivity: Kenya is exploring Chinese partnerships to build satellite technology and space expertise. Medical Innovation: Nairobi’s Kenyatta National Hospital has carried out Africa’s first tubeless windpipe reconstruction. Climate Research: Rising fires across tropical Africa are raising concerns for the Congo Basin, with researchers warning of mounting pressure on forests.

Health Innovation: Kenya plans an Sh80 billion nuclear research reactor at Konza Technopolis to produce cancer-treatment drugs locally and reduce reliance on imports. African AI: Two Kenyan startups won a combined Sh1.3 million to develop AI tools for medical scan interpretation and turn text into audio for learners and readers. Inclusive Digital Learning: Ecobank Ghana opened a technology centre at Wa School for the Blind, equipped with screen readers, Braille devices and accessible computers. Research to Market: Sierra Leone’s attorney general has urged universities and state research centres to establish or update policies that protect inventions and help turn them into commercial products by year-end. Ebola Response: The DRC outbreak has reached Nord-Ubangi, its eighth affected province, prompting fresh calls for cross-border surveillance and stronger regional health preparedness.

AI and Public Services: Ghana plans to link 48 government data registries in a national data hub, using shared information and AI to guide planning and public spending. African Innovation: Nigeria’s Ubokobong Bionic Arm, a muscle-controlled prosthetic now used in 56 countries, has been named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026. Power Access: Burundi signed a $1.4 billion, 25-year deal to expand electricity distribution, aiming to connect 1.2 million households and businesses and reach about eight million people. Climate Research: Scientists have digitized handwritten records from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Yangambi archive to document warming in the Congo Basin. Coastal Science: Sediment research in Mozambique’s Bons Sinais Estuary found substantial silt and clay alongside sand, pointing to pollution risks in an ecosystem that had not been systematically studied.

Agricultural Science: Madagascar’s hybrid rice programme has reached 90,000 hectares, with average yields of about 7.5 tonnes per hectare—two to three times those of traditional varieties. Skills and Technology: Tanzania and China signed a vocational training pact that includes a new Luban Workshop and practical courses in engineering, surveying and rail infrastructure. African AI: A Nigerian military delegation visited Ethiopia’s AI Institute to study smart border controls and security systems; the institute says it wants to expand cooperation with African partners. Pest Detection: Researchers in Morocco, the UK and Scotland tested microwave imaging that located hidden red palm weevil pupae inside a palm trunk with about 93% accuracy in controlled experiments. Digital Governance: One Seychelles company controlled by businessman Lu Heng submitted 10 of Africa’s 16 applications in ICANN’s new domain-name round, raising questions about concentrated influence in the continent’s internet infrastructure. Freight Rail: Transnet and Wabtec signed a roughly $400 million support deal that includes digital monitoring and predictive maintenance for South African locomotives.

Medical Breakthrough: Nairobi’s Kenyatta National Hospital says it has performed Africa’s first tubeless tracheal reconstruction, repairing a patient’s windpipe without a conventional breathing tube in the surgical field. AI Ambitions: Morocco has created a ministry focused on AI and digital transformation, targeting $10 billion in economic gains by 2030; a separate African Development Bank–UNDP initiative aims to create 25 million jobs through AI. Agricultural Science: Research presented in Ghana points to “sentinel” plants that visibly signal nitrogen shortages, helping farmers target fertiliser use and reduce waste. Health Security: Kenya has reported a third Ebola case as the outbreak spreads in the Democratic Republic of Congo, renewing calls for stronger health funding and research. Girls in Science: Burkina Faso has launched a science competition for young women and offered scholarships, alongside suspending beauty pageants. Tech Jobs: Microsoft is reportedly closing engineering operations at its Nairobi development centre, a setback for Kenya’s technology sector.

E-waste: Africa generated about 3.5 million tonnes of electronic waste in 2022, but less than 1% was formally collected and recycled. Experts at a Kenya conference say digital tracking and AI could improve recovery and bring informal recyclers into better-coordinated systems. Climate-smart farming: A study spanning 10 African countries says agroecology can boost yields and incomes, cut reliance on costly imported farm inputs and strengthen resilience to climate shocks. AI and jobs: The African Development Bank and UNDP are advancing a $10 billion initiative, aiming to help create 25 million jobs by 2035 through wider AI adoption. Digital health: eHealth Africa and Egypt’s health ministry will work together on AI diagnostics, disease surveillance and stronger health information systems across the continent. Respiratory health: A WHO envoy warns that low awareness, delayed diagnosis and limited treatment are contributing to the burden of respiratory disease in Africa.

Genomics and Medicine: African genomes contain nearly a million more genetic variants on average than non-African genomes, yet people of African descent make up less than 3% of global genomic datasets. Researchers say investing in African-led genomics could improve precision medicine and drug development. Digital Payments: Ethiopia has joined the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System, connecting its financial institutions to a network designed to make cross-border African transactions easier. Smarter Farming: South Africa’s CSIR is using satellite data to give farmers near-real-time information on soil and crops, while food recovery can help cut waste and improve access to food. Online Safety: A joint crackdown removed 3.7 million accounts linked to West African scam networks; South Africans are also being warned about WhatsApp impersonation scams that pressure victims to send money. Affordable Tech: Rising chip costs, driven partly by AI demand, are threatening the supply of low-cost smartphones in Africa.

Digital Tax: South Africa’s revenue service is proposing near-real-time digital VAT invoices, which could pre-fill returns and flag discrepancies sooner. Public comments are due by 16 October; the change could help address an estimated VAT reporting gap of 35% to 41%. Quantum Research: At a forum in Accra, scientists urged African institutions to make quantum research commercially relevant to attract funding, while investing in training and careers. Speakers said world-class work can be done with relatively affordable equipment. Science Reporting: A UK fellowship has opened in Accra for 30 journalists and content creators, with training to verify claims and explain emerging technologies as AI makes misinformation harder to spot. Wildlife Science: A study of elephant carcasses in South Africa’s Kruger National Park is examining how nutrients from the animals’ remains affect soil, biodiversity and grazing long after they die.

Weather Data: Nigeria’s NiMet says Africa has just 12.5% of the weather-station coverage recommended by the World Meteorological Organization, weakening forecasts and disaster preparedness. It is calling for more private investment. AI in African Cities: Lagos, Johannesburg, Casablanca and Cairo rank among the world’s active AI-adopting cities, despite gaps in digital infrastructure and startup funding. Industrial Technology: At a South African cement plant, upgrades are turning waste heat into electricity and replacing diesel mining trucks with electric ones. Digital Infrastructure: Microsoft’s planned closure of its Nairobi engineering hub raises concerns for Kenya’s tech ambitions and local jobs. Faster Connectivity: MTN South Africa has reached 10.35 Gbps in an Upper 6GHz 5G-Advanced trial, though commercial rollout is still ahead. Research Gaps: A global review of child nutrition studies found lower-income countries are poorly represented; separate research also found major gaps in endometriosis guidelines across Africa.