Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
Can sub-Saharan Africa scale AI fast enough to raise productivity and improve public services?
New IMF research finds that under current conditions, AI’s productivity gains in the region will stay modest. Faster adoption, broader use across sectors, and stronger enabling conditions could raise those gains by an order of magnitude. A virtual panel from the IMF and the Africa Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on what adoption really depends on, from electricity and digital infrastructure to skills and governance.
Thursday, September 17, 2026, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT
SPEAKERS
Fonteh Akum, Africa Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Martin Schindler, African Department, IMF
Kalpana Kochhar, Gates Foundation
Jane Munga, Africa Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Nigeria
Zeine Zeidane, African Department, IMF
Moderated by Alexis Akwagyiram, Semafor Africa
Register
https://imf.webex.com/weblink/register/r3d7bf7e1a14a8929c46f6f0cd3deadf1
Read the research
https://www.imf.org/en/publications/departmental-papers-policy-papers/issues/2026/07/13/unlocking-the-potential-ai-in-sub-saharan-africa-576489