How AI Can Expand Opportunities for African Youth – Discussions to Expect at Goalkeepers 2026 Dakar

AI could be a great equaliser, but only if it’s built intentionally to benefit the people who need it most. Credit: Gates Foundation.

During the 2026 ADF-YGL Convening in Lagos, young leaders from across the world, including Africa, gathered at Learn2Earn Academy, an AI talent factory founded by Iyinoluwa Aboyeji. There, the global leaders were introduced to a few students who have been using AI to build solutions for some of the day-to-day challenges that Africans, Nigerians specifically, face. One of them was Anas Masama, who showcased ‘Morrow’, a fintech app that allows offline transfers without internet connectivity.

Anas explained that despite the wide coverage of internet providers in Nigeria, the internet’s strength fluctuates or sometimes goes offline and leaves Nigerians stranded at a point of payment. With AI, he built ‘Morrow’ to solve two problems: 1) The embarrassment that a Nigerian might feel due to bad internet connectivity. 2) Time.

Anas’ invention is an example of the potential opportunities that exist when Africans leverage AI to solve basic issues. While there are concerns about the risks of AI use in Africa, including hallucinations, stereotypical results and many others, it remains one of the fastest-growing technological advancements in recent times. AI continues to grow and become more efficient, and the most urgent task Africans can embark on is to upskill in how to adopt AI for better use, so the continent doesn’t get left behind.

In the 2026 Goalkeepers Report, Bill Gates calls for three actions now that will help AI improve lives and livelihoods for more people in the years ahead: Make AI tools work in every language people speak; ground AI tools in local data; and invest in people and access in the places and populations they are intended to serve. All three suggestions apply to Africa so it can properly leverage AI to expand opportunities. At present, despite how expansive AI has become, it is built in places far away from Africa. This is why Africans, who have access to local data and speak African languages, should build AI tools that incorporate local data and African languages for better use.

This way, AI has access to specific data of Africans and will allow it to better understand cultural contexts and pragmatics. This will make a great equaliser rather than make things less equal. Of course, Africans still encounter basic challenges like electricity, connectivity, access to phones, and other issues, but those who have access must maximise it greatly to help others.

This year’s Goalkeepers 2026 is centred around this conversation. After hosting engaging and immersive events in the Nordics and New York, Goalkeepers is coming to Dakar on October 29. This event, “Equitable AI and the Future of African Youth”, aims to discuss how AI can create opportunities for Africans across various sectors while also addressing the challenges the continent faces.

What are some of the areas AI can expand opportunities for African youth?

Education

Access to quality education remains one of the core issues facing sub-Saharan Africa. With AI, African youth can gain access to quality education, regardless of where they live. Students can use AI-powered tutors to explain difficult subjects, practise questions, learn new languages and receive feedback based on their performance. Teachers can also use AI to prepare lesson plans and develop learning materials for students with different abilities.

Developed countries like the Netherlands use AI-powered platforms such as Snappet to analyse students’ work and provide exercises suited to their learning levels. UNESCO has also highlighted Rori, an AI tutor that reaches students in Sierra Leone and Ghana through WhatsApp. These examples show how African innovators can develop educational tools that work on mobile phones, use local languages and require less internet data.

For young Africans, this also creates opportunities to build educational technology companies, develop learning applications and provide digital tutoring services to students locally and abroad. Perhaps, instead of travelling thousands of miles to gain degrees from top universities in the world, AI can help bring education to doorsteps in Africa.

Finance and Investment

Financial literacy is one of the major conversations in the modern world. A while back, Fu’ad Lawal shared on X (formerly Twitter) that he asked ChatGPT to pick three stocks in June last year. He wrote in the tweet, “It recommended three companies he knew next to nothing about at the time. Today, they’re up over 200% cumulatively.” This is how AI can help people understand financial information and make more informed decisions

African youth can develop financial tools that help people with irregular incomes manage their money, compare savings products and understand investment opportunities. AI can also help small businesses prepare financial records that make it easier to apply for loans. Although, AI cannot reliably predict every market movement or guarantee investment returns. Its recommendations can be inaccurate or biased, so users must verify information and consider their financial circumstances before investing.

Agriculture

Agriculture remains an important source of livelihood across Africa, but farmers face challenges such as unpredictable weather, pests, poor soil conditions and difficulties accessing markets. AI can help farmers make better decisions by analysing weather forecasts, satellite images, soil conditions and crop diseases.

Africans can create affordable farming applications that send weather alerts, identify crop diseases and connect farmers to buyers. Tools that work through SMS, WhatsApp or offline mobile applications could also help farmers who have limited internet access. These solutions can create opportunities for young people in agritech, agricultural research and food distribution. It even extends to the chain of food distribution.

Other areas of opportunity include employment and skills development. Today, anyone can get into tech and vibe code. Of course, they still need to be taught, but that beginner’s gap has been closed.

Despite these opportunities, the challenges of inaccurate information, bias, privacy concerns, and the possibility that automation could displace some jobs remain a significant concern. Also, limited electricity, expensive internet access and inadequate digital infrastructure may also prevent many African youths from benefiting.

This is why it is important for governments, educational institutions, businesses and technology companies to invest in digital infrastructure, affordable access and AI training.

A 2025 study projected that AI could contribute between 0.4 and 1.3 percentage points to annual labour productivity growth over the next decade in highly exposed economies such as the United States and the United Kingdom, depending on adoption and other assumptions. While these projections do not guarantee similar outcomes for Africa, they demonstrate why readiness and adoption matter, which is why Goalkeepers Dakar 2026 is momentous.

As AI continues to rapidly develop and expand, African youth cannot afford to be left behind.

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