Ndiho Media,LLC.

By Ndiho Media

It’s easy to see artificial intelligence (AI) as something out of a science fiction movie. However, it is currently transforming the fundamental aspects of our lives—shaping how we live, learn, and work. For Africa, this moment is not simply about keeping up with the latest trends; it represents a unique opportunity to shape our future on our own terms. It’s about much larger – a chance to leap ahead once again, as we did with the cell phone and mobile money.
I recently spoke with Joshua Opoku Agyemang, of the Ghana STEM Network, who explained AI in a way that has stuck with me. As he saw it, AI is not magic, but rather the science of inventing machines capable of reproducing human thought. “They are not human,” he quickly added. “They are not flesh and blood. But it is a system that has a certain level of intelligence.”
The pros here are staggering. Joshua used a straightforward analogy: think of an AI system that can read thousands of files within a minute or two—the time it would take hundreds of individuals to accomplish. Or consider face recognition, where humans will fail, but AI will identify a thousand faces in zero seconds.
This is the kind of efficiency he believes Africa ought to adopt and not shun. “We’ve done it once. We went from zero landlines to cell phones”. “We went from not banking with traditional banks to Mobile Money. For example, Mpesa in Kenya was a game changer.” He said.  The same types of innovations are now possible to apply to AI, transforming the face of healthcare, education, and even agriculture.
But Joshua is also honest about the danger. “The same software that is in a position to create stellar content is equally able to develop advanced deepfakes. Systematic problem-solvers are similarly able to spread lethal misinformation.”

His concern is about whose information is used to train these AI systems. With the vast majority depending on Western influences, what’s the condition of the hundreds of languages and unique cultural settings in Africa? “Ghana alone has 30 to 50 or so spoken dialects,” he said. If we don’t develop our systems, our voices will be lost in the discussion.
But the good possibility is too large to be ignored. “For example, picture a doctor in a rural town being given an on-the-spot opinion by a specialist in the city. Envision farmers using AI to survey their fields and be able to say definitively when it is best to plant and harvest an abundant crop. Envision classrooms in which each student has an individualized level of education.”
What about the fear that AI will automate our jobs? Joshua considers it a familiar crossroads. “Going from the first industrial revolution to today, every wave of technology has killed some jobs while creating other ones,” he speculated. The solution is not to resist it but to adapt. The workforce of the future will be less about the rigid 9-to-5 and more about individual strengths and value. It’s up to all of us to consider what our careers will look like in five years.
When regulating, he calls for a subtle equilibrium. Rules are necessary—we are still uncovering the full contours of AI, and we require restraints. However, the freedom to innovate must also be maintained. Regulators will need to cooperate with creators while never stopping their own education.
For anyone fearful or even worried about this approaching world, Joshua’s simple mandate is this: become curious. “It’s good to be scared—it’s human nature,” he described. “But fear comes from not knowing.” Through education on these technologies, we will be able to steer them towards positive outcomes and shield ourselves against their destructive possibilities. Autonomous cars, smart cities, advanced robotics—their arrival is imminent. Our choice is whether we watch from the sidelines or create them.
Finally, his vision is very positive. This Africa of his is to utilize these emerging technologies to feed itself, but to feed the globe. “We have the soil and the population and the ideas,” he described. AI is unlikely to cure all our ills tomorrow, but if we plan it with equity and a humanitarian mission, it offers a chance to leapfrog decades of catch-up. That is our time to innovate and pioneer, and not to copy.