Positioning Africa for Sustainable AI: Building the Governance, Innovation Systems, and Resource Capabilities for Climate-Resilient Growth

Author: Khungeka Njobe, Executive Director: Kay Ann Consulting and Advisory Pty Ltd and Director: Lumira Sustainable Energy Pty Ltd 

delivered at AMLD 2026 on 27 January 2026 

Abstract

Artificial intelligence is increasingly positioned as a critical enabler of climate action and sustainable development, offering new tools to address complex, interconnected challenges spanning environmental, economic, and social systems. For Africa—one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions—the potential benefits of AI are significant, yet uneven global AI trajectories risk reinforcing dependency, data asymmetries, and unequal value capture if left unexamined. This paper advances the argument that Africa’s strategic opportunity lies not in the passive adoption of externally designed AI systems but in shaping governance-led, context-aware, and sustainability-oriented AI pathways. It examines AI’s role in climate mitigation, adaptation, and decision-making, alongside the structural constraints facing African adoption, including infrastructure gaps, skills shortages, and data inequities. At the same time, it highlights Africa’s distinctive comparative advantages—rooted in indigenous knowledge systems, demographic diversity, and human-centred values—as a foundation for global leadership in responsible and sustainable AI. The paper concludes by outlining actionable pathways through which Africa can help redefine AI governance in the service of climate resilience, social equity, and the global public good.