At the recent G20 Leaders' Summit held in Johannesburg, the United Arab Emirates announced a major plan called the AI for Development Initiative, committing to investing $1 billion to expand artificial intelligence infrastructure and related services on the African continent. This move marks that the Gulf country is using AI as its core link to closely link its global strategic investment with Africa's development needs, opening a new chapter in South South cooperation.

UAE Minister of State Said bin Mubarak Al Hajeri announced this initiative at the summit. He stated that the plan will focus on applying AI technology to key areas such as education, healthcare, and climate adaptation, directly assisting African countries in achieving their national development priorities.

Regard AI as the cornerstone of the future of humanity

We believe that artificial intelligence is not only a future industry, but also the cornerstone of humanity's future, "Minister Hajeri emphasized in the statement. Therefore, our country is actively accelerating the pace of innovation to improve productivity and drive significant progress in the global economy, while we are firmly committed to developing responsible and inclusive AI for the benefit of all. ”

This statement reveals the deep logic behind the UAE's investment - it is not simply a commercial activity, but a deep integration of its national technology strategy with the global development agenda.

The United Arab Emirates has become an important economic partner of Africa

This ambitious AI initiative is built upon the increasingly close economic ties between the UAE and Africa. Data shows that the United Arab Emirates is already one of the largest investors in Africa. In 2024, the bilateral trade volume reached approximately 107 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 28%. Between 2020 and 2024, the total investment of the United Arab Emirates in Africa has exceeded 118 billion US dollars. This AI initiative can be seen as a strategic upgrade towards high-tech and future industries based on this solid economic foundation.

The African pivot of global AI ambition

This initiative is also in line with the UAE's ambitious domestic AI strategy. Previously, Abu Dhabi had announced plans to use American technology to build one of the world's largest data center hubs on its own. Nowadays, by directing AI infrastructure investments towards Africa, the UAE is attempting to align its domestically built technological capabilities with the development needs of the global South, aiming to become a key hub connecting developed country technologies with emerging market applications.

It is worth noting that the United Arab Emirates is not a member of the G20 and is attending at the special invitation of the host country, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. This diplomatic arrangement itself highlights the increasing influence of the United Arab Emirates in the global southern camp and its close coordination with African leadership. Keywords: International News and Information, International News Network, Middle East News and Information

Through this $1 billion AI initiative, the UAE is not only investing in Africa's technological future, but also shaping a new paradigm of global AI governance guided by development and based on South South cooperation, attempting to open up a new path in the AI landscape dominated by Western tech giants.Editor/Cheng Liting