Across the Middle East and Africa, 2026 has marked a shift from being mainly consumers of artificial intelligence to actively building and controlling AI systems. At the Ai Everything MEA summit in Cairo, governments and tech leaders highlighted efforts to develop “sovereign AI,” including locally trained large language models such as Egypt’s Karnak and Morocco’s expanding national AI infrastructure. North African countries are investing in regional AI hubs to support startups and reduce dependence on foreign models, while Gulf states are funding large-scale compute infrastructure and sovereign cloud systems to store and process sensitive data locally. In sub-Saharan Africa, countries like Kenya and Nigeria are focusing on practical AI applications such as voice-based systems in local languages to improve access in agriculture, healthcare, and finance. However, major challenges remain, including limited data center capacity, energy constraints, water usage concerns, and a shortage of skilled AI engineers. Despite these barriers, growing investment and regional cooperation signal a broader push toward building a more independent and inclusive AI ecosystem tailored to local needs and economic development goals.
Read more here
