Ralph Mupita urges Africa to shape its own AI future
- editor4422
- Oct 13
- 2 min read
By Nhlanhla Muthe
Artificial intelligence (AI) can unlock Africa’s next growth frontier, but only if the continent moves with speed and purpose.
That was the message from MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita, speaking at the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation Inclusive Growth Forum this weekend.
“We must be obsessed and paranoid about not being left behind,” Mupita said, warning that without deliberate investment and collaboration, AI could deepen inequality and create a “digital underclass” across Africa.
The MTN Group CEO and President outlined six urgent steps to ensure AI serves as a tool for inclusive growth, beginning with solving the continent’s energy deficit.
“AI needs power, and Africa must accelerate its energy transition. The International Energy Agency estimates that over US$200 billion in annual investment is required to meet Africa’s energy and climate goals by 2030,” he said.
Africa currently accounts for less than 2% of global data centre capacity, a statistic Mupita called “a wake-up call” for governments and investors. He noted that the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) projects the continent will need around US$96 billion by 2030 to close its digital infrastructure gap.
The MTN chief also called for the development of African large language models (LLMs) to ensure the continent’s 1.5 billion people, speaking over 2 000 languages, are not left out of the AI revolution. “Fewer than 2% of African languages are supported by mainstream LLMs. We must change that,” Mupita said.
His comments build on MTN’s earlier support for Nigeria’s Atlas for Languages & AI at Scale (N-ATLAS) initiative, an open-source multilingual LLM that captures the country’s linguistic diversity. The continent’s largest mobile operator, with 296.8 million subscribers, has pledged to fund research and language datasets to strengthen African-led AI innovation.
Beyond infrastructure and data, Mupita emphasised skills development, calling it “the heartbeat of Africa’s digital future.” He said that by 2030, 230 million digital jobs will exist in sub-Saharan Africa, and AI training must be central to education systems. “We must ensure that new jobs created by AI exceed those displaced, especially for Africa’s youth,” he said.
MTN has already launched several AI-driven initiatives, including Ayoba, its super app that uses AI to personalise digital services, and MTN’s Chenosis platform, which leverages AI for open innovation across industries.
“AI is not just about technology. Iit’s about inclusion, empowerment, and opportunity. Africa must act now, together, to create AI that works for Africans, by Africans,” stated Mupita.
