The adoption of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa received a major boost after Uniccon Group, an Abuja-based tech startup, unveiled the continent’s first humanoid robot.
Omeife, the 1.8m female human-like robot, is African by design and has Igbo-like physical attributes. The battery-powered robot can speak Igbo, Yoruba, English, French, Swahili, Wazobia, Pidgin, Afrikaans and Arabic with native accents.
Uniccon Group chief executive Chuks Ekwueme said: “Omeife also identifies objects and calculates object positions and distances.”
Omeife’s launch comes a few months after Abdul Malik Tejan-Sie, a South African-based innovator from Sierra Leone, unveiled a prototype of South Africa’s first humanoid robot.
The government’s 2021 AI Readiness Report ranks Mauritius, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Cape Verde as the most accommodating and ready for AI adoption on the continent.
Fred Sagwe, co-founder and CEO of the Kenya Robotics Society, says the regulatory environment, financial input and the availability of research labs would accelerate AI penetration in Africa.
“In Kenya, science and engineering fairs and associations such as Young Scientists Kenya and Techkidz Africa have been vital in offering support to young AI and robotics enthusiasts,” he said.
But Sagwe believes that the true indicator of success is increased investment in research and data centers.
In Nigeria, the National Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics has significantly pushed the country forward in machine learning, the Internet of Things, blockchain technology, intelligent robotics, extended reality, and digital manufacturing and prototyping.
In South Africa, the government launched the South African AI Institute along with AI centers at the University of Johannesburg and Tshwane University of Technology in November. This came after the Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution recommended its establishment for South Africa to take full advantage of technological opportunities.
Sagwe said that major innovations in AI and robotics have been achieved in Africa and beyond through strong research, so data centers and research centers play an important role in developing the sector.
The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, in an October 2022 report, showed that Africa is integrating AI technology into food security and agricultural production, healthcare delivery, improving government services, better communications and access to public resources.
Many of these integration areas have been endorsed by individual national agencies with support from private sector investment.
But Sagwe said having a national policy that guides AI and robotics adoptions is critical.
“For a long time, digital bigwigs like Google have been at the center of AI technology investment in Africa, but with national strategic policies guiding the sector, more private investors are showing interest,” he added.
Mauritius offers tax incentives to AI startups in addition to providing strategic guidance on potential areas of investment as part of the strategy.
“The benefits of adopting AI, especially in business and in the national and continental economy in general, are immense,” said Sagwe.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa estimates that Africa’s economy could reach $15.7 trillion by 2030 if the continent adjusts and taps into 10% of the global AI market.
“Fear of losing jobs to computers is common…but AI can enable many jobs to evolve,” Sagwe said.
The game changer is introducing AI and robotics learning to schoolchildren, Sagwe said. “Growing up with robotics kits will inspire many of them to find a career in computer science and general AI courses.
“This is already happening in Kenya and hopefully it will be replicated so that adoption is continental,” he said. – bird story agency
