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The U.S.-Iran war cast a long shadow over the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, threatening what economists described as sub-Saharan Africa\u2019s hard-won economic gains \u2014 but experts on the sidelines of the gatherings urged African governments not to slow their investments in artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
Economic activity accelerated broadly across sub-Saharan Africa in 2025, with regional growth estimated at 4.5%, according to the IMF\u2019s regional economic outlook. Economists from the fund\u2019s Africa department urged governments to tighten fiscal policy and direct spending toward critical areas including clean energy and humanitarian aid.<\/p>\n
But at an IMF panel on scaling AI for development under real-world constraints, Vilas Dhar, president and trustee of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, offered a more optimistic message. \u201cAfrica is one of the places that gives me the most optimism about what AI will look like for the world,\u201d he said. \u201cI think AI is more a story about the transfer of power than any other technological intervention we\u2019ve had in the last 80 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
The IMF\u2019s outlook report acknowledged AI\u2019s potential but found that sub-Saharan Africa has not yet demonstrated AI readiness, with usage uneven and below that of other developing economies on average. The fund attributed this to gaps in infrastructure, skills and governance capacity, while noting that \u201cnot ready is not the same as not capable.\u201d It called for a bold reform agenda to enable broader AI-driven growth.<\/p>\n
Dhar said conversations he has had in Africa have moved beyond which products to buy, toward a more fundamental question: \u201cHow do we create a wholesale reconstruction of systems around health access, around agricultural production, around energy placement and utilization?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lawrence Eta, former chief technology officer for the City of Toronto, said Africa must move forward with its AI strategy to avoid entrenching technological dependence. \u201cAfrica cannot afford to remain a consumer of technology built elsewhere and governed by others. AI is not optional for Africa; it is the digital infrastructure,\u201d he said, arguing that AI would allow the continent to strengthen healthcare delivery, food systems and energy resilience while moving beyond legacy constraints.<\/p>\n
Eta warned that pulling back from AI investment would be the wrong response to the economic disruptions created by the Iran conflict. \u201cThe African countries that direct their digital transformation towards AI as a social, economic and sustainable foundation now will emerge from geopolitical disruption with sovereign capacity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Dhar echoed that view, saying Africa\u2019s continued investment in AI would help break a long-standing dependence on external development assistance \u201cin a way that\u2019s deeply equity- and justice-oriented.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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