Agree one African position on how the UN's AI fund is run
Why this matters
The 's report of 11 September 2026 proposes about $3 billion over two to four years. The money would pay for computing power, energy, internet links, data and public digital systems. The report names the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as a model. It leaves the fund's rules to be settled during the current session of the . Whoever arrives with a draft will shape those rules.
Africa has seats in this process and no agreed position. Ministers from Gabon and Senegal co-chaired two of the four working groups at the first in Geneva in July 2026. Yet the 's priorities for the Assembly did not mention AI, and Tunisia abstained on the vote to set up the UN's scientific panel on AI. Only 17 African countries have national AI strategies.
The fund's design will decide where its money lands. Only 5% of African AI practitioners have the computing power they need. If the fund buys through open global tenders, its money will follow the 99% of data-centre capacity outside Africa. Africa holds 0.6%. A rule that favours joint buying by region, with machines housed in developing regions, would bring the money to Africa.
Sources for this section (9)
- UN: the proposed Global Fund for AI (opens in a new tab)
- UN: co-chairs' summary of the first Global Dialogue (opens in a new tab)
- UNRIC: the vote on the scientific panel (opens in a new tab)
- OECD: national AI strategies in Africa (opens in a new tab)
- UNDP: only 5% of African AI talent has enough computing power (opens in a new tab)
- Africa Data Centres Association: Africa's 0.6% share (opens in a new tab)
- AU: African ministers declare AI a strategic priority, May 2025 (opens in a new tab)
- AU: ICT ministers adopt the Continental AI Strategy, June 2024 (opens in a new tab)
- Amani Africa: countries suspended from the AU (opens in a new tab)
Four levels of action
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What Africa asks of the world
Africa asks for three things. It wants seats on the fund's board in line with need. It wants buying rules that favour joint regional purchases and machines housed in developing regions. It wants every grant published and checked by independent evaluators.
- Who
- UN member states negotiating the fund
- When
- Assembly talks during the current session, then the second Global Dialogue on AI Governance, New York, 3 and 4 May 2027
-
What the African Union does
The AU Commission drafts a common position with , the alliance of African governments for digital development. Africa's ministers of information and communications technology (ICT) endorse it. It builds on the AU's Continental AI Strategy of 2024 and the statement on AI that African ministers agreed in Addis Ababa in May 2025.
- Who
- The AU Commission, with Smart Africa
- When
- Draft by February 2027; tabled by March 2027
-
What regional groups do
Africa's four main regional communities collect comments from their members. These are the Economic Community of West African States (), the Economic Community of Central African States, the and the Southern African Development Community. This lets countries without an AI strategy shape the text. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are suspended from AU activities and cannot join the drafting. As UN members, they can still co-sponsor the text in New York.
- Who
- ECOWAS, the Economic Community of Central African States, the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community; the in New York
- When
- Comments by January 2027
-
Which country goes first, and why
Gabon and Senegal go first. Their ministers co-chaired the working groups on AI opportunities and on closing gaps in AI at the first Dialogue. They already know the negotiators and the texts.
- Who
- The digital ministries of Gabon and Senegal
- When
- In the Assembly talks by March 2027, and at the Dialogue on 3 and 4 May 2027
Before another country can do this
- A named official for AI in the digital ministry.
- A diplomat at the New York mission who covers digital issues.
- A national AI strategy or policy, or a commitment to adopt one.
- Willingness to put terms agreed at the UN ahead of separate deals with firms.
What does not carry over from the first country
- The co-chair seats of Gabon and Senegal, and the contacts that came with them.
- Gabon's campaign for a seat on the governing council of the International Telecommunication Union, the UN's telecoms agency, decided in Doha in November 2026.
Who else is ready
| Country | Why | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rwanda | It hosted the April 2025 summit in Kigali where 49 countries endorsed the Africa Declaration on AI and a $60 billion Africa AI Fund was launched. | Source (opens in a new tab) |
| Kenya | Its National AI Strategy of March 2025 names cloud and AI infrastructure as a priority. | Source (opens in a new tab) |
| Nigeria | It spoke for the African Group on the 2023 tax resolution, the model for this campaign. | Source (opens in a new tab) |
Has this worked before?
In November 2023 the African Group, speaking through Nigeria, tabled a resolution to start UN talks on a framework for international tax cooperation. It passed by 125 votes to 48, against the opposition of most rich countries. Africa arrived with a text and a coalition, and it set the agenda. Source (opens in a new tab)
AU: the General Assembly adopts the tax resolution by 125 votes
First steps
- African Unionthe AU Commission brings together a drafting group of digital ministries, led by Gabon and Senegal, by the end of November 2026.
- Regional groupsthe regional communities return members' comments on a two-page draft by January 2027, and the final text reaches all African missions in New York by February 2027.
- Gabon and Senegalthey present the position in the Assembly's talks on the fund by March 2027, and at the Dialogue on 3 and 4 May 2027.
Who acts, and with what
- Who leads
- The AU Commission, with Gabon and Senegal as the first countries and the African Group in New York
- Instrument
- A common African position tabled in the Assembly's talks and at the May 2027 Dialogue
- How progress is checked
- The position tabled with the support of most African states, and at least one African proposal in the fund's rules
- Signal to change course
- Africa arrives in May 2027 without a position
- What stands in the way
- Many ministries have few AI policy experts. The United States opposes the UN's work on AI, so the fund may start small. Some governments prefer separate deals with firms.
- Cost and money
- Drafting needs meetings and expert time, which have not been costed. The fund itself is proposed at about $3 billion over two to four years, and no pledges have been announced.
Who else contributes
| Who | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Gabon and Senegal | Lead the drafting, drawing on their time as co-chairs |
| The African Group in New York | Negotiate the text and build support |
| Smart Africa | Link the position to joint buying of cloud and computing power |
| African AI researchers | Advise on needs for computing power and skills |
| Data protection authorities | Set the data safeguards the fund should require |
What each audience can do
AU and regional bodies
What you can doBring ministers together and agree the position
What you gainA stronger voice in global rules on AI
Governments
What you can doNominate experts to the drafting group
What you gainA say over where AI money goes
Researchers and media
What you can doSupply evidence on gaps in computing power and skills
What you gainResearch needs reflected in the fund's rules
Philanthropy
What you can doPay for the drafting group's research and meetings
What you gainAn early say in a new public fund
NGOs and civil society
What you can doPush for published grants and independent evaluation
What you gainA fund that answers to the people it serves
The briefings behind this
The Global Fund
An international fund that pays for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria programmes. It raises money from governments and private donors every three years.
Health briefingGlossarySource: theglobalfund.org (opens in a new tab)
African Union Commission
The African Union's secretariat. It prepares decisions for heads of state and carries them out.
Penholder
The Security Council member that leads the drafting and negotiation of decisions on a given crisis. France, the United Kingdom and the United States hold most of these roles.
Our recommendation on thisPolitics and governance briefingGlossarySource: securitycouncilreport.org (opens in a new tab)
UN Secretary-General
The head of the UN's staff and its main public voice. The Security Council recommends a candidate and the General Assembly appoints them, usually for five years. António Guterres's term ends on 31 December 2026.
UN General Assembly
The meeting of all 193 UN member states, each with one vote. It meets every year from September. It can make statements, elect members of other bodies and approve the UN budget, but most of what it says does not bind governments.
UN AI panel and Global Dialogue
Two UN processes on AI agreed in 2025: a scientific panel that reports on AI's risks and uses, and a yearly meeting of governments on how to govern it. A proposed UN fund would pay for AI skills in poorer countries.
AI and technology briefingGlossarySource: un.org (opens in a new tab)
African Union (AU)
The organisation of 55 African states, based in Addis Ababa. Its heads of state meet each February. It can suspend members after a coup.
Smart Africa
An alliance of African governments to put digital technology at the centre of development. It began with seven countries, and all AU heads of state endorsed its founding manifesto in January 2014.
Our recommendation on thisAI and technology briefingGlossarySource: smartafrica.org (opens in a new tab)
ECOWAS
The Economic Community of West African States. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger left it in January 2025.
East African Community
A bloc of eastern and central African states, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The African Group at the UN
The 54 African member states working together as one of the UN's five regional groups. The groups put forward candidates for elections to UN bodies. The African Group itself has no vote on the Security Council.
Our recommendation on thisThe UN and diplomacy briefingGlossarySource: un.org (opens in a new tab)
Words used on this page
- The Global Fund
- An international fund that pays for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria programmes. It raises money from governments and private donors every three years. Health briefing · Glossary · Source: theglobalfund.org
- African Union Commission
- The African Union's secretariat. It prepares decisions for heads of state and carries them out. Glossary
- Penholder
- The Security Council member that leads the drafting and negotiation of decisions on a given crisis. France, the United Kingdom and the United States hold most of these roles. Our recommendation on this · Politics and governance briefing · Glossary · Source: securitycouncilreport.org
- UN Secretary-General
- The head of the UN's staff and its main public voice. The Security Council recommends a candidate and the General Assembly appoints them, usually for five years. António Guterres's term ends on 31 December 2026. The UN and diplomacy briefing · Glossary
- UN General Assembly
- The meeting of all 193 UN member states, each with one vote. It meets every year from September. It can make statements, elect members of other bodies and approve the UN budget, but most of what it says does not bind governments. Glossary · Source: un.org
- UN AI panel and Global Dialogue
- Two UN processes on AI agreed in 2025: a scientific panel that reports on AI's risks and uses, and a yearly meeting of governments on how to govern it. A proposed UN fund would pay for AI skills in poorer countries. AI and technology briefing · Glossary · Source: un.org
- African Union (AU)
- The organisation of 55 African states, based in Addis Ababa. Its heads of state meet each February. It can suspend members after a coup. Glossary · Source: au.int
- Smart Africa
- An alliance of African governments to put digital technology at the centre of development. It began with seven countries, and all AU heads of state endorsed its founding manifesto in January 2014. Our recommendation on this · AI and technology briefing · Glossary · Source: smartafrica.org
- ECOWAS
- The Economic Community of West African States. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger left it in January 2025. Politics and governance briefing · Glossary
- East African Community
- A bloc of eastern and central African states, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Glossary
- The African Group at the UN
- The 54 African member states working together as one of the UN's five regional groups. The groups put forward candidates for elections to UN bodies. The African Group itself has no vote on the Security Council. Our recommendation on this · The UN and diplomacy briefing · Glossary · Source: un.org