This move comes amid growing concerns over the ongoing Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. Speaking at the launch ceremony in Arusha, Aguer Ariik Malouet, EAC Deputy Secretary-General for Infrastructure, Productive, Social, and Political Sectors, stated that the program will help East Africans gain skills in using AI to address regional challenges. «Our goal is to empower East African citizens with the skills, knowledge, and collaboration opportunities to apply AI to solve problems, create jobs, improve public services, and develop solutions to the challenges facing our region», he said.
He emphasized that the «EAC AI Alliance» aims to create a regional innovation ecosystem that will enable East Africa to successfully compete in the global digital economy. Participants will compete in creating digital solutions for healthcare and other industries, with a total prize pool of $50,000 (approximately 130 million shillings). One of the priority tasks will be the fight against Ebola: participants will be required to develop AI systems capable of assisting in the diagnosis, preparation, and response to outbreaks.
According to the EAC, the initiative is part of the second phase of the AI Innovation Challenge (A14EAC) and aims to train young people, researchers, and entrepreneurs in practical AI skills. The program will reach 20,000 people across all eight EAC member countries.
Furthermore, the AI Alliance has added Equity Group Holdings and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) as new strategic partners for AI research, digital skills development, and innovation promotion. Equity Group's Chief Innovation and Technology Officer, Winnie Mangeni, noted that this collaboration will help young people develop AI solutions applicable to the financial sector and other practical areas.
Joachim Schmitt, head of the East and Central Africa department at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), stated that Germany's support stems from the importance of a unified regional AI development strategy. He noted that since 2019, Africa has attracted $1.25 billion in AI investment, but 80% of this funding is concentrated in just four countries. Furthermore, he noted, Africa accounts for less than one percent of global data center capacity, despite being home to approximately 18% of the world's population.
The first A14EAC competition, held in 2025, attracted 3,891 applicants from 57 universities in Burundi, the DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
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