UK announces major AI for development initiatives at G20 in South Africa
The UK government backs new AI projects across Africa, supporting the G20 ‘AI for Africa Initiative’ announced in Cape Town.
The UK Government has announced new projects in support of responsible and inclusive artificial intelligence (AI) innovation across Africa, responding to the G20 ‘AI for Africa Initiative’ in Cape Town. These projects, delivered in partnership with leading African and international organisations, aim to accelerate development outcomes, strengthen democratic resilience, and ensure AI technologies are used safely and equitably.
New AI Evidence Alliance for Social Impact
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is partnering with Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Community Jameel, a major philanthropic science funder, to launch the AI Evidence Alliance for Social Impact (AEASI), a new £2.75 million initiative to advance the evidence-informed deployment of AI for social good in Africa. This is part of a wider $7.5 million collaboration with Google.org to support AI impact evaluations.
The FCDO’s contribution is £1 million, and the initiative will be implemented by thought leaders on evaluation, the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and IDInsight.
This partnership will:
- fund experimental evaluations to identify which AI tools deliver real-world impact in Africa and Asia
- strengthen local research leadership and capacity
- provide actionable research and guidance for policymakers and practitioners
- convene key stakeholders to share insights and set future research and funding agendas
The initiative will help ensure that AI investments in low- and middle-income countries are evidence-based, inclusive, and aligned with development priorities.
Launch of the African Hub for AI Safety, Security and Peace at the University of Cape Town
A new African Hub for AI Safety, Security and Peace will be established at the University of Cape Town, becoming the 12th multidisciplinary global AI lab, and the second in South Africa, supported through the UK-Canada AI for Development programme (AI4D) across sub-Saharan Africa. This pioneering lab will focus on understanding and mitigating the safety and security risks associated with AI, ensuring that African contexts and perspectives are part of the global AI governance debate.
The Hub will:
- build capacity for African researchers, policymakers, and communities to detect and address AI-related harms
- develop governance frameworks and technical tools tailored to African contexts
- facilitate community engagement and co-design, ensuring solutions reflect local priorities
- position African actors in global AI rule-making processes
The launch aligns with South Africa’s G20 presidency priorities and the AI for Africa initiative, reinforcing the continent’s leadership in shaping the future of responsible AI.
AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said:
AI has the power to fuel growth, build trust and transform lives – and every country should share in that. That’s why we’re backing African-led innovation that puts people first, tackles real-world challenges, and builds global resilience. By working with countries like South Africa, we’re making AI safer, fairer and more inclusive – and helping communities shape the future on their terms.
Maggie Gorman Velez, Vice-President, Strategy, Regions and Policies at the International Development Research Centre said:
Artificial intelligence holds extraordinary potential, but only if the tools, knowledge and power to shape it are accessible to all – that includes contextually grounded research and evidence on what works and what does not. That is why IDRC is proud to be supporting this new evaluation work as part of our ongoing commitment to the responsible scaling of proven safe, inclusive, and locally relevant AI innovations.
George Richards, Director of Community Jameel, said:
AI has the potential to help tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges, but we need evidence of which AI solutions work effectively, safely and fairly in order to maximise its impact. We are excited to be launching this new alliance to help generate the rigorous evidence we need and scale effective AI solutions to benefit communities around the world.
Alex Diaz, Head of AI for Social Good, Google.org said:
AI has great potential to benefit all people but we urgently need to study what works, what doesn’t, and why if we are to realise this potential.
Further information
- the African Hub for AI Safety, Security and Peace will produce open-access research, develop risk detection tools in multiple African languages, and support training for students and policymakers
- the AI4D Evaluation Partnership will generate evidence to guide responsible AI innovation, with a focus on reducing bias, exclusion, and systemic harms