- 12 Marzo 2026 – Torino, l’AI Hub promuove la collaborazione e la creazione di reti di contatti nel campo dell’intelligenza artificiale tra Africa ed Europa.
- 04 Marzo 2026 – Shaping AI Future Across Africa and Europe – Torino, 12 Marzo 2026
- 9 Febbraio 2026 – Italia, Kenya e UNDP aprono il forum sull’intelligenza artificiale a Nairobi
- 9 Febbraio 2026 – AI Forum in Nairobi
- 8 Febbraio 2026 – Techplomacy Newsletter January 2026
- 7 Febbraio 2026 – Nairobi forum e non solo. Così l’Africa ripensa l’AI, di Ferruccio Michelin (formiche.net)
- 6 Febbraio 2026 – Ripensare il futuro dell’intelligenza artificiale in Africa
- 5 Febbraio 2026 – How Africa can re-imagine its artificial intelligence future, by Vincenzo del Monaco, Philip Thigo and Keyzom Ngodup Massaly (The Standard)
What is the AI Hub for Sustainable Development?
Co-creating with Africa’s AI ecosystem
The AI Hub for Sustainable Development is a G7-endorsed initiative co-led by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT) and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) aligned with the Italy-Africa Mattei Plan. Africa’s story is one of momentum; the continent holds many of the critical minerals that power global AI infrastructure and is home to the
world’s youngest population. This offers immense opportunities for innovation and development across the continent.
Beyond transferring technology or providing training on existing tools, the AI Hub is strengthening the essential foundations of AI development; data, compute, talent, trust, and financing, to enable African innovators to create solutions that serve both local development priorities and global markets. Foundations for tomorrow. Resources for today.
Operating across 18 Mattei Plan countries, the AI Hub anchors programmes in energy, agriculture, health, water, education and training, and infrastructure.
Five pillars where the AI Hub unlocks resources for today and builds foundations for tomorrow
DATE GREEN COMPUTE TALENT ENABLING ECOSYSTEM
Together, the AI Hub’s partners are shaping the architecture of global AI participation: deciding where compute will power humanity’s progress, which models will set the standards for generations, which regulations will unlock innovation, and where the world’s talent will converge to build our shared future.
Key numbers
- 1000+ Innovators Engaged
- 1.5M GPU Hours Deployed
- USD 3M+ Compute Cells
- 25 Partnership Re-imagined
- 18 Countries
“The AI Hub for Sustainable Development is part of the Mattei Plan, a priority of the Italian Government’s foreign policy. With this instrument we want to contribute to the achievement of development objectives, leveraging the private sector and market-driven projects.”
— Adolfo Urso, Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Government of Italy
Flagship Programmes
- Compute Accelerator Programme – Designed to connect supply with demand readiness through integrated acceleration support, driving the efficient and effective use of compute to enable international growth and scalability.
- AI Infrastructure Builder Programme – A platform where Africa’s AI infrastructure builders are connected to an integrated network of governments, private sector, and financing partners to shape partnerships needed between Africa, the G7, and the EU.
- Africa Green Compute Coalition (AGCC) – A flagship initiative of the AI Hub, working with design partners from the G7, Italy, and Kenya, including Alliance4AI, Axum, Kytabu, and Cineca, to exponentially enable access to scalable, sustainable, and affordable AI compute infrastructure.
- AI Hub Platform – The digital gateway that defines how the world engages with Africa to advance cooperation and co-development.
These flagship initiatives were launched during the official opening of the AI Hub for Sustainable Development, which gathered political and private sector leaders across the G7, EU, Italy, and Africa. Together, they aim to accelerate AI-enabled industrial development across the continent.
Italy and Kenya: Partnering for Sustainable AI Innovation
Through its collaboration with UNDP, MIMIT, and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAECI), the AI Hub works closely with Kenyan institutions, innovators, and startups to:
- Build AI-enabled infrastructure supporting national development priorities;
- Strengthen skills and talent ecosystems for youth and entrepreneurs;
- Support responsible AI adoption in sectors such as agriculture, health, and climate resilience.
Together, Italy and Kenya are shaping a new model of equal, innovation-driven cooperation, where technology empowers people and supports sustainable growth.
Kenyan institutions, startups, researchers, and innovators can engage with the AI Hub through:
- Participating in flagship programmes such as the Compute Accelerator or Infrastructure Builder;
- Contributing to policy dialogues and AI ecosystem development activities;
- Partnering on pilot projects that leverage AI for sustainable development in key sectors.
Kenya’s top finalist of the AI Hub’s AI Art for Industries open call, Stephen Ndiema, shares his vision for the future of industrial growth in Kenya powered by AI.
For more information, contact the AI Hub team at: aihubfordevelopment@undp.org
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