Rome – 20 June 2025: Today, the G7-endorsed AI Hub for Sustainable Development officially launched at the UNDP Italy premises in Rome, marking a pivotal moment in global AI collaboration with Africa. Attended by 500 participants from more than 60 countries and hundreds more via livestream, the launch celebrated the announcement of 25 transformative private-sector and Africa-based partnerships, including with leading collaborators of the AI Hub: the Government of Egypt, Kenya, the Ivory Coast and the African Development Bank.
These partnerships unite Africa’s leading innovators, Italian, EU and G7 companies, and government leaders across G7 and the 14 African partner countries of the Italy-Africa Mattei Plan—Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Tanzania and Tunisia.
Powered by Italy’s Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT) and implemented by UNDP, the AI Hub reimagines global AI partnerships to strengthen local ecosystems across Africa. The launch event underscored a central theme: outdated solutions and partnerships cannot address the unique demands of Africa’s dynamic AI market; bold partnerships are required to unleash the AI Infrastructure and ecosystems across Africa towards a prosperous future for all.
Based in Rome, the AI Hub is a collaborative platform, tailoring global resources to the ambitions and realities of African innovators, and fostering equitable, sustainable and impactful AI development. “Innovation thrives through connection, not isolation,” said Tonee Ndungu, the AI Hub start-up leader from Kenya and moderator of the official opening. “The AI Hub will create vibrant spaces where diverse perspectives will spark scalable solutions, empowering African innovators to build infrastructure on the continent and lead in shaping an AI future where everyone prospers.”
The event highlighted the AI Hub for Sustainable Development’s unwavering commitment to accessible, affordable and sustainable AI infrastructure, anchored by robust data, compute and talent ecosystems. Leaders from startups, multinational businesses and governments emphasized the AI Hub’s role in fostering collaborations that deliver outsized impact.
Key initiatives and strategic partnerships announced at the AI Hub for Sustainable Development launch.
The AI Hub for Sustainable Development unveiled powerful initiatives and strategic partnerships with private sector leaders, governments, and international organizations across Italy, Africa, and G7 countries. These collaborations are designed to empower African innovators and infrastructure builders, to ensure AI can support economic growth for all.
Ambitions were translated into concrete actions through key initiatives and partnerships:
- AI Hub Platform with AskHub Chatbot: a cutting-edge digital platform connecting African innovators to compute resources, expert mentorship and global partnerships. The tailored AskHub chatbot supports innovators at every stage—from ideation to scaling—unlocking AI-driven solutions for local challenges. Partners include Zindi, AfriLabs, OpenStartup International.
- Africa Green Compute Coalition (AGCC) Flagship Report: this transformative report reframes Africa’s US$30 billion compute investment gap as a catalytic opportunity for sustainable growth. Co-stewarded together with Alliance4AI, AXUM, Cineca, Kytabu, it charts a roadmap for equitable AI infrastructure powered by renewable energy.
- Compute Accelerator Programme: a six-month program empowering African ventures with working AI products to scale globally. Offering cloud compute credits, technical mentorship and curated cross-border partnerships, it accelerates startup growth. Ten partners joined at the official opening including Almawave, Amazon Web Services, Cineca, Elis, Kytabu and others.
- AI Infrastructure Builder Programme: launched with the vision that Africa’s innovations will redefine global AI, this program drives localized infrastructure through smart, scalable solutions, enhancing accessibility and economic impact. Anchor Partners include Governments of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, the African Development Bank, Axum, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), Confindustria, EgyptSAND and other additional collaborators.
- Microsoft and Domyn announce collaboration with the AI Hub’s Platform: a landmark partnership of Microsoft and Domyn, a deep-tech innovator in multilingual large language models (LLMs) to enable sovereign AI development in Africa to enhance AI accessibility through simple, safe and secure AI-powered guidance, connecting the AI Hub’s innovator community to critical funding and expertise.
On the same day of the official launch of the AI Hub, at the ‘Mattei Plan for Africa and Global Gateway’ summit in Rome’s Villa Doria Pamphilj, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission’s President, Ursula von der Leyen, announced two landmark partnerships bolstering the AI Hub for Sustainable Development. An Administrative Arrangement with the European Commission and a strategic MIMIT-Microsoft agreement commit significant resources to drive inclusive AI growth across Africa. These collaborations amplify the AI Hub’s mission to foster digital opportunity and sustainable industrial progress.
Senator Adolfo Urso, Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy
“This initiative is a fundamental piece of a broader mosaic represented by the Mattei Plan. A partnership of equals, as envisioned and pursued by Enrico Mattei, born from the clear vision of our Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, and now involving the EU and Africa in a shared effort toward the continent’s economic, social, and environmental growth. We will work together tirelessly to ensure that the AI Hub develops swiftly and efficiently, in the firm belief that this can represent a truly great opportunity for development for the region and for our Europe.”
Marcos Neto, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP's Bureau for Policy and Programme Support
“The G7 Leaders' endorsement of the AI Hub for Sustainable Development, in Borgo Egnazia in 2024, demonstrated international recognition, particularly that responsible AI development is fundamental to global stability and shared prosperity. Rather than transferring technology or providing training on existing tools, the AI Hub is strengthening the essential foundations of AI development—data, compute, talent, and partnerships—to enable African innovators to create solutions that serve both local development priorities and global markets.”
To read more about the official opening and speakers, please visit here.
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