Good Partners at AI Kigali 2025: Shaping Africa's AI Future Together

Kigali, Rwanda — April 3–4, 2025

Good Partners was honored to participate in the inaugural Global AI Summit on Africa (GAISA 2025) held in Kigali, Rwanda, under the theme "AI and Africa's Demographic Dividend: Reimagining Economic Opportunities for Africa's Workforce." The Summit, jointly organized by the Rwanda Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR Rwanda) and Rwanda's Ministry of ICT & Innovation, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, convened leaders from government, industry, civil society, academia, and startups to chart a continental AI agenda.

About the Summit

Over two days, the agenda tackled seven thematic pillars critical to Africa's AI ecosystem:

• People: jobs, skills and mobility in an AI-driven economy
• Infrastructure: overcoming barriers to adoption and strengthening digital foundations
• Data: equity, sovereignty, access, and governance
• AI Models: closing gaps in language, culture, and inclusion
• AI Applications: human-centric use cases in sectors like health, agriculture, education
• Entrepreneurship: nurturing innovation, talent and capital flow
• Governance: ethics, trust, regulatory frameworks, and citizen protection

The summit opened with remarks by national and continental leaders, including H.E. Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, and other dignitaries, who emphasized Africa's critical juncture in AI development.

Major Summit Outcomes

One of the landmark outcomes was the endorsement of a $60 billion AI Fund, envisioned to accelerate innovation, infrastructure development, and equitable access to AI across Africa.

Additionally, during the Summit, Rwanda's government and the Gates Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding to launch the Rwanda AI Scaling Hub, backed by an initial $7.5 million over three years, aimed at scaling AI solutions sustainably across sectors including agriculture, health, and education.

Good Partners' Role & Highlights

At AI Kigali 2025, Good Partners leveraged this platform to:

• Present AgriScanAI, our flagship AI-powered agricultural tool to stakeholders interested in tech-for-good in agriculture
• Engage with policymakers, investors, and ecosystem players around how AI can support smallholder farming, climate resilience, and food systems
• Explore collaboration opportunities with pan-African AI initiatives, scaling hubs, and funding mechanisms
• Bring insights from Kenya's agricultural and AI contexts to continental dialogues

Our team participated in panels and side sessions and connected with fellow innovators to align on responsible AI deployment across Africa.

Key Takeaways and Impact

From Good Partners' vantage point, several critical themes emerged:

• Funding must evolve in structure and mindset: The $60bn fund is a powerful step, but long-term success depends on models that balance risk, value-creation, and African ownership.
• Infrastructure and data sovereignty are foundational: Without reliable connectivity, data storage, and policies ensuring equitable access, AI's benefits will remain concentrated.
• Ethics, governance and citizen trust must be baked in: Governance frameworks, transparency, accountability, and inclusion must accompany all AI efforts.
• Agriculture, health, and education remain priority sectors: These sectors offer high social impact and alignment with Good Partners' mission for AI-led transformation.

What's Next for Good Partners

We leave Kigali energized and committed. Looking ahead, Good Partners will:

• Deepen our engagement in pan-African AI networks and initiatives
• Work to integrate findings and partnerships from AI Kigali into our product roadmap
• Seek collaboration in AI scaling hubs and funding mechanisms
• Advocate locally in Kenya for responsible AI policy and investment aligned with continental momentum

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