Gabon's digital strategy falls short in Africa's AI race
via Gabon Review4 min read
While other African nations like Rwanda, South Africa, Morocco, and Nigeria are establishing themselves in the artificial intelligence landscape, Gabon's digital strategy, Gabon-Digital, is criticized for focusing on administrative modernization rather than technological conquest. Rwanda, for instance, has become a key player, with President Paul Kagame co-chairing the UN's "AI for Good" summit and leading a continental AI council. Google has opened an AI lab in Johannesburg, Microsoft is developing in Nairobi, and Morocco is building data centers. In contrast, Central Africa, including Gabon, is notably absent from this emerging AI map. Gabon-Digital aims to reform regulations, develop infrastructure, digitize public services, and strengthen skills, but these objectives are seen as respectable rather than ambitious, merely bringing the state to 2010 standards while the rest of the continent targets 2040. The article highlights that digitizing administrative processes does not equate to AI development or attracting tech investment. Furthermore, a critical prerequisite for AI, reliable electricity, is a significant challenge for Gabon, where the capital experiences power outages. Despite having considerable untapped hydroelectric potential, a small population, and strategic location, Gabon has not leveraged these advantages to become a regional digital hub, unlike Rwanda, which has achieved continental leadership through political will.
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