Inaugurated at the end of February by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Congo, ARCAI, a new research center dedicated to artificial intelligence, is located at the University of Kintele in Brazzaville, the capital of the country. Funded by the ECA (Economic Commission for Africa) and its partners, this center aims to ” Enable African populations to benefit from the industrial revolution”by accessing training that will bridge the digital divide, strengthen inclusive economic growth and ensure that Africa adopts modern digital tools.

The deployment and implementation of AI is part of the development agenda of a growing number of African countries. Several initiatives at the continental level have emerged, including the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) and the African Union Commission’s Comprehensive Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa.

The development of digital infrastructure and services in the health, agriculture, education and trade sectors and the bridging of the digital divide will enable Africa to benefit from the potential of digital transformation.

ARCAI, Congo’s pan-African center

ARCAI aims to stimulate AI training but also to provide support for research as well as growth in infrastructure, digital policy, and finance.

On the educational side, it will offer, among others, Master’s programs in artificial intelligence and data science.

Mactar Seck, head of the technology and innovation section at the ECA, said in an interview with franceinfo Afrique:

“We have developed an LMD (Bachelor-Master-Doctorate) content that will be delivered from next year, in collaboration with the Sassou N’Guesso University. The center is equipped with an e-learning platform that can accommodate 10,000 students simultaneously. Face-to-face courses will also be available for private sector actors and governments.

Research that will focus on agriculture, health, industry and the environment will be able to begin this month as soon as high-performance computers arrive, necessary for “data structuring” that requires “powerful machines.”

Mactar Seck told franceinfo Afrique:

“The online courses have already begun. We expect researchers from Africa but also from all continents. There is a partnership that is being established with several universities working in the field of artificial intelligence in Africa and Europe, in the United States and England.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and large companies such as Google are not ruling out becoming partners of the center as well.

Mactar Seck adds:

“First of all, we must master this technology that allows, not only to fight against poverty, but also to create many jobs for young people on the continent and added value. The contribution to GDP is extremely important. “

Bridging the digital divide

Although African countries are apprehensive about the financial benefits that AI can bring to their economies, following the example of Rwanda, which recently inaugurated a CAI4R center dedicated to artificial intelligence and developed its internet network, the majority of the African population, especially in rural areas, does not have access to the internet either because of a lack of network or because they cannot afford a subscription. In Congo, prices have increased considerably in 2021.

At the inauguration of ARCAI, ECA Executive Secretary Vera Songwe said:

“There is an urgent need for the government to provide fast, affordable and reliable broadband internet to facilitate the much needed digital transformation. “

Julie Owono, executive director of the NGO Internet Without Borders, added:

“I share Vera Songwe’s concern: before we talk about Artificial Intelligence, we need to talk about access to the Internet, its cost. This represents a far too large part of the budget of an average African citizen. According to the latest statistics from the Alliance for Affordable Internet, Africans spend 5% of their monthly budget to access 1GB of Internet while the average set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is 2%.

Investing more in AI research

At the inauguration, Julie Owono thanked the Government of Congo for its collaboration in facilitating the creation of this center, which she said is ” a crucial step to advance innovation and job creation in Africa” but added that:

“There are countries that have been making Artificial Intelligence research a priority for years and investing billions of dollars. Let’s try to go beyond the effects of announcements – we read a lot of them when it comes to connectivity, Internet, digital and digital in Africa – and put real resources into research, into the development of it, into the training of engineers and into training in mathematics. “

With the creation of this center, Congo aims to become a major regional hub for the development of emerging technologies.

Translated from Congo : lancement d’ARCAI, centre de recherche en intelligence artificielle à Brazzaville