The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Group, Ralph Mupita, has called on African nations to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) to prevent the continent from falling further behind in the global digital transformation race.
Speaking at the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation Inclusive Growth Forum, Mupita warned that Africa risks creating a “digital underclass” if it fails to act swiftly to integrate AI across key sectors.
“We must be obsessed and paranoid about not being left behind,” he said, according to a statement published on MTN’s website.
The telecoms executive identified six critical areas where urgent intervention is required to ensure Africa benefits from the AI revolution.
1. Power and Energy Infrastructure
Mupita emphasised the urgent need for expanded electricity access to drive economic and digital growth. Citing data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), he noted that achieving Africa’s energy and climate-related goals by 2030 would require over $200 billion in annual investments.
2. Digital Infrastructure Development
With Africa accounting for less than 2 per cent of global data centre capacity, Mupita highlighted the continent’s significant infrastructure gap. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates that bridging this shortfall will require about $96 billion by 2030. He stressed that investments must extend beyond subsea cables and fibre networks to support AI-driven innovation.
3. Development of African Language Models
Africa’s linguistic diversity—boasting over 2,000 languages—remains largely unrepresented in mainstream large language models (LLMs), with fewer than two per cent currently supported. Mupita pointed to initiatives such as the Nigerian Atlas for Languages & AI at Scale, an open-source multilingual model designed to capture Nigeria’s linguistic diversity, as vital steps towards inclusive AI development.
4. Building Digital and AI Skills
Mupita underscored the importance of equipping Africa’s burgeoning youth population with relevant digital and AI competencies. With sub-Saharan Africa projected to create 230 million digital jobs by 2030, he urged policymakers and private sector leaders to ensure that new and augmented jobs surpass those displaced by automation.
“We must ensure that the jobs created through AI adoption exceed those displaced by technology—especially for the youth,” he said.
5. AI in Key Development Sectors
He further advocated for the application of AI in high-impact areas such as healthcare, education, and agriculture. By combining traditional AI with generative AI, Mupita said Africa could unlock immense economic and technological potential.
6. Strengthening Partnerships for AI Growth
Mupita concluded by calling for stronger collaboration between governments, private sector players, and civil society to drive policies, enhance data governance, and promote AI skills development.
“Turning Africa into a creator, not just a consumer, of AI requires immediate action and collective effort,” he said.
