Catherine Muraga, Managing Director of Microsoft’s Africa Development Centre, has urged African leaders and innovators to move beyond passive technology consumption and embrace a more proactive role in the global AI landscape.
Speaking at the Africa Artificial Intelligence Summit (AAIS) 2025 on Thursday at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala, Muraga challenged the continent to seize what she described as a “historic opportunity” to shape the future of artificial intelligence.
“We are the youngest continent,” she said. “By 2050, Africa’s working-age population will reach 1.6 billion. AI isn’t optional—it’s urgent.”
Her keynote struck a balance between optimism and urgency. While highlighting the continent’s demographic potential, Muraga warned that a lack of infrastructure and limited access to computing power could widen inequality within the tech sector.
According to the African Union’s report Africa at the Forefront of the AI Revolution, artificial intelligence could contribute as much as $1.5 trillion to the continent’s GDP. But Muraga made it clear that this won’t happen without decisive action.
She called for a shift in mindset—from adopting imported solutions to building homegrown technologies tailored to local realities. “Is it a coincidence that countries like China and India introduce computing studies early in education?” she asked. “Shouldn’t we do the same?”
Muraga also stressed the need to reform Africa’s education systems, advocating for AI literacy from secondary school onwards. “If data is the hardware of AI,” she noted, “then people are the software. We need AI-fluent professionals, practical university curricula and retention plans to avoid brain drain.”
Her speech was peppered with examples of local innovation: real-time flood forecasting in Rwanda, smart agriculture tools from Hello Tractor, and Dukawalla, a voice assistant helping small shopkeepers manage sales in local languages.
“From pest detection for Kenyan farmers, to SMS-based diagnosis in Ghana, to diabetes support in Xhosa and Afrikaans—these are African problems, solved with African intelligence.”
Still, the challenges are steep. Muraga pointed out that only 5% of African AI practitioners have access to adequate computing resources. But she cited Microsoft’s recent $1 billion investment in a geothermal-powered data centre in Kenya and growing partnerships like the AI Factory in Zimbabwe, backed by NVIDIA, as promising signs of momentum.
She praised universities such as Makerere for launching AI centres, but pressed for deeper investment in foundational skills.
“Are our students proficient in maths? Are our graduates job-ready?” she asked. “Innovation cannot thrive on intent alone—or good conferences such as this. It takes action. It needs infrastructure: electricity, cloud access, data governance.”
Muraga also spoke forcefully on the importance of inclusive design, urging developers to train AI models in African languages and local dialects, using region-specific imagery and respecting cultural nuance.
She applauded governments like Rwanda’s for early leadership in data policy but called on more African countries to develop robust, rights-respecting governance frameworks.
“To move beyond consumerism, we must build for our own context,” she said. “Let us continue to navigate AI deliberately and inclusively. Africa will not just survive the global AI shake-up—Africa will help shape it.”
