The African Development Bank Group, together with several global partners, has launched a free training programme to help public officials across the continent understand and use artificial intelligence in their work. The initiative was announced on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The training is designed specifically for public servants—the people who run ministries, design policies, manage public funds, and deliver services to citizens every day.
Who Is Behind This Initiative
The programme is a partnership between the African Development Bank Group, the UNDP AI Hub for Sustainable Development, Google, and Apolitical. Each partner brings something unique.
The African Development Bank Group is the continent’s leading development finance institution, with a long history of supporting projects that improve lives across Africa. The UNDP AI Hub for Sustainable Development is a G7-endorsed initiative co-led by the United Nations Development Programme and Italy’s Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. Google and Apolitical provide the learning platform and content, enabling high-quality training at scale.
The training is being delivered under Apolitical’s Government AI Campus initiative, which has already reached over 500,000 public servants in 163 countries. This is a proven platform that has helped government workers around the world become more confident in using AI tools and techniques.
What the Training Covers
Participants will gain access to a carefully designed set of courses. These include AI Fundamentals for Public Servants: Opportunities, Risks and Strategies, AI Leadership in Government: Building Trust, Skills and an Innovative Culture, and Smarter Procurement with AI.
The courses have been developed by two world-class institutions: Stanford University Online and SDA Bocconi School of Management. This means African public officials will receive training of the same quality as their counterparts in Europe, America, and Asia—completely free of charge.
The training is self-paced, meaning participants can learn at their own speed, fitting their studies around their work and family responsibilities. This is particularly important for busy public servants who cannot take extended time off from their duties.
Who Can Apply
Enrolment is open and free of charge to serving government officials and public servants in the African Development Bank’s regional member countries. The programme is specifically designed for those working on AI in public service delivery, digital infrastructure, public-private partnerships, or innovation.
This focus is deliberate. The Bank understands that AI will only benefit ordinary Africans if the people designing and delivering public services understand how to use it effectively. By targeting officials who are already working in these areas, the programme ensures that the training will have immediate practical impact.
The Economic Case for AI in Africa
The launch of this training programme is closely linked to a major report released by the African Development Bank in December 2025. The report, titled Africa’s AI Productivity Gain: Pathways to Labour Efficiency, Economic Growth and Inclusive Transformation, found that inclusive AI deployment could add up to 1 trillion US dollars to Africa’s gross domestic product by 2035.
To put that figure in perspective, it represents nearly one-third of the continent’s current economic output. This is not a small projection. It is a transformative opportunity that could reshape African economies and create millions of jobs.
The report identified five priority sectors that are expected to capture most of these gains. Agriculture is projected to account for 20 per cent of the AI dividend, followed by wholesale and retail at 14 per cent, manufacturing and Industry 4.0 at 9 per cent, finance and inclusion at 8 per cent, and health and life sciences at 7 per cent. Together, these five sectors are expected to capture approximately 580 billion US dollars by 2035.
However, the report was clear that these gains will not happen automatically. Five interlinked enablers are needed: data, compute, skills, trust, and capital. This training programme directly addresses the skills gap, which the Bank has identified as one of the most critical barriers to Africa’s AI readiness.
The Significance of this Free AI Training
AI can help governments deliver services faster, reduce waste and corruption, improve healthcare and education, and make better decisions about how to spend public money.
For example, AI can help a health ministry predict where disease outbreaks are likely to occur, allowing officials to send vaccines and medical supplies to the right places before people get sick. It can help a finance ministry detect fraudulent transactions and ensure that public funds reach their intended beneficiaries. It can help an agriculture ministry give farmers better advice about when to plant and harvest based on weather data and soil conditions.
But none of these benefits can be realised if the public servants responsible for these services do not understand how AI works. That is the gap this training programme is designed to fill.
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A Voice from the African Development Bank
Ousmane Fall, the Bank Group’s Director for Industrial and Trade Development, explained why this initiative is so important. “AI is changing how we work,” he said. “It promises major productivity gains if users fully understand its application. Building that understanding in government has been neglected and this partnership helps us put that right”.
His words capture the essence of the challenge. Many African governments have been slow to adopt AI because officials lack the knowledge to use it effectively. This training programme is a direct response to that problem.
A Global Partnership with African Focus
The UNDP AI Hub for Sustainable Development, which is a key partner in this initiative, is a G7-endorsed programme that aligns with Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa. The African Development Bank Group is a founding member of the Hub’s Executive Steering Group.
Keyzom Ngodup Massally, Director of the AI Hub for Sustainable Development and UNDP Head of Digital and AI Programmes, emphasised the urgency of the moment. “As the AI landscape continues to evolve, governments across Africa need timely support to strengthen the institutional and technical foundations required to participate meaningfully in the AI economy,” she said.
This is a global partnership, but the focus is squarely on Africa. The training is tailored to the realities of African public service, and it is being offered free of charge to ensure that no qualified official is excluded because of cost.
How to Apply
The application link is now open. Interested public officials can apply directly through the platform. The training is entirely online, so participants do not need to travel or take time away from their duties. They can study at their own pace, from their own offices or homes.
This is a unique opportunity for African public servants to gain world-class training in a field that will only become more important in the years ahead. The skills they learn will not only benefit their own careers but will also help their governments deliver better services to the people they serve.
