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Investing.com -- Google announced a $2.25 million commitment to modernize public data systems across Africa, making them accessible and ready for artificial intelligence applications.
The funding will leverage Google’s Data Commons, an open-knowledge repository that organizes public data into a single resource. In partnership with the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Google will help launch a regional Data Commons specifically for Africa.
Google.org is providing $750,000 to UNECA to create AI-enabled platforms that integrate datasets from across the continent, focusing on critical areas including food security, trade, and economic development.
The initiative aims to establish regional standards for ethical data sharing and strengthen technical skills at National Statistical Offices (NSOs). The goal is to create a unified, AI-ready data foundation that will help policymakers make better-informed decisions.
An additional $1.5 million will go to PARIS21 (The Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century) to provide AI training and technical support to NSOs, starting with Ghana, Rwanda, and Senegal.
The PARIS21 project will focus on three main objectives: upskilling NSOs with AI training, creating guidelines for data that can be understood by both humans and AI, and providing support to scale open data infrastructure.
Google emphasized that public data is essential for addressing major societal challenges like food security, climate change, and economic development. For Africa, with its young and growing population, this data infrastructure could support an AI-driven future similar to how the continent previously leapfrogged from landlines directly to mobile technology.
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