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Cassava Technologies has unveiled a major step in Africa’s artificial intelligence (AI) journey with the introduction of its AI factory, powered by NVIDIA supercomputers, offering a platform for innovators to design solutions tailored to the continent’s unique challenges and opportunities.
The initiative reflects Africa’s growing urgency to invest in AI infrastructure, local skills, and ethical frameworks to avoid being left behind in the global digital race. Cassava say AI holds the potential to drive economic growth, strengthen governance, and create homegrown technologies that reflect African languages, cultures, and realities.
“Local innovation, supported by local skills, is critical to ensure sustainability and relevance. When we have the skills and the infrastructure to support them, the sky’s the limit,” said Ziaad Suleman, CEO of Cassava Technologies, South Africa and Botswana.
By Ruvarashe Gora
Suleman explained that the AI factory provides a foundation for African innovators to build practical applications from agriculture and health to finance and education, while positioning the continent to compete globally. The facility demonstrates how public-private partnerships can fast-track Africa’s digital transformation.
But he cautioned that infrastructure alone is not enough. To truly deliver on the promise of AI, Africa must invest across the entire digital ecosystem, including digital literacy from an early age, policy and regulatory frameworks, cybersecurity, cloud adoption, and AI-ready skills training.
“The urgency is clear,” Suleman said. “Every delay risks widening Africa’s technological divide, while each step forward brings the continent closer to being not only connected, but competitive.”
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