African Development Bank : $10B AI Initiative set to unlock 40M jobs by 2035

On February 23, 2026, at the Nairobi AI Forum 2026 in Kenya, the African Development Bank and the United Nations Development Programme launched the AI $10 Billion Initiative, aimed at mobilising up to $10 billion by 2035 to accelerate responsible artificial intelligence adoption and drive inclusive digital growth across Africa. The initiative targets the building of data infrastructure, regional ecosystems, policy frameworks, digital skills and AI entrepreneurship, with a goal of creating up to 40 million jobs and contributing to an estimated $1 trillion GDP increase for the continent by 2035.