Masakhane Hub Director joins inaugural Africa AI council

Masakhane Hub Director joins inaugural Africa AI council

We’re thrilled to share that Chenai Chair: Director  Masakhane African Languages Hub has been elected as an Independent Member of the inaugural Africa AI Council established by Smart Africa. She will be part of a 15-member council that brings together leaders from government, academia, and industry to guide Africa’s AI transformation. 

This is a major milestone for our work as: 

• This council will help drive responsible AI innovation across Africa and;

• Ensure community representation as mandated to the hub by the Masakhane community with African AI stakeholders, including government ministers, academia, and private sector leaders.

At the Hub, we believe that language is core to innovation. Being part of this council gives us a powerful platform to advocate for AI that understands and supports Africa’s diverse linguistic heritage. The Africa AI Council has a bold mandate: to provide strategic, actionable recommendations that ensure AI is accessible, inclusive, and rooted in African values. This milestone reinforces Africa’s commitment to digital sovereignty, inclusive innovation, and sustainable economic growth in the age of artificial intelligence.

 “Our Board mandated us to ensure that Africa leads — not follows — in the global AI transformation,” said Lacina Koné, Director General and CEO of Smart Africa. “With the establishment of the Africa AI Council, we take a decisive step toward shaping an AI-driven future rooted in African values, responsive to African challenges, and designed to unlock African potential. These 15 exceptional leaders bring the expertise, vision, and commitment needed to ensure that Africa becomes a creator, not merely a consumer, of AI technologies.” - Smart Africa, 2025

The Africa AI council members include:

ICT Ministers (7):

• H.E. Sid Ali Zerrouki, Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Algeria

• H.E. Dr. Boukar Michel, Minister of Telecommunications, Digital Economy, and Digitalization, Chad

• H.E. William Kabogo, Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications & Digital Economy, Kenya

• H.E. Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Nigeria

• H.E. Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT and Innovation, Rwanda

• H.E. Cina Lawson, Minister of Digital Economy and Transformation, Togo

• H.E. Tatenda Mavetera, Minister of Information, Communication Technology, Postal & Courier Services (ICTPCS), Zimbabwe

Independent Members (8):

• Dr. Paulin Basinga, Director for Africa, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

• Karim Beguir, Founder & CEO, InstaDeep

• Yasser Shaker, CEO, Orange Middle East and Africa

• Chenai Chair, Director, Masakhane African Languages Hub

• Akua Gyekye, Senior Director and Head of Government Affairs – Africa, Microsoft

• Prof. Vukosi Marivate, Chair of Data Science, University of Pretoria / Co-Founder, Lelapa AI / Deep Learning Indaba

• Walid Naffati, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Tunisie Haut Débit

• Alex Okosi, Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, Google

A huge thank you to Smart Africa and partners for the recognition. We look forward to contributing to responsible, locally rooted AI innovation across the continent.

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