DigiClub Ep189-Interview de Lacina Koné (Smart Africa) au MWC26: IA utile & souveraineté numérique

·33 min·3 clips

Smart Africa proposes uberizing GPU access across the continent to democratize AI without each country needing its own data center.

The episode features an interview with Lacina Koné, Director General of Smart Africa, conducted by two hosts from DigiClub at Mobile World Congress 2026. Koné begins by updating progress since last year, noting that 49 countries came together in April 2025 in Kigali to agree on an AI strategy for Africa. This led to the establishment of the African Council of Artificial Intelligence in November 2025, comprising 16 members including ministers, private sector, media, and civil society. A key initiative is the AI skilling hub to train youth on priority use cases like agriculture, health, and education. Koné emphasizes the need for 'useful AI' tailored to African contexts, rather than pursuing the strongest AI. He introduces the concept of uberizing computing power, where GPU resources are shared across countries to democratize access without each nation needing its own data center. This approach aims to foster continental sovereignty while acknowledging infrastructure limitations. The discussion turns to a partnership with Mitkai, signed under the African Council of Artificial Intelligence, to launch sovereign AI pilots in five African countries, focusing on local use cases and prerequisites like energy and ethics. Koné addresses sovereignty concerns, arguing it's about control rather than isolation, and notes that even major powers like the U.S. and China have deficits in areas like energy or regulation. He highlights AI as an opportunity for Africa due to its linguistic diversity, calling it a 'blessed bread' that can integrate over 2,000 languages and empower communities. Koné then speaks to African startups, urging them to build useful solutions and pointing to the $822 billion mobile money transaction market in 2023 as an untapped opportunity. The hosts ask about policy harmonization, with Koné explaining Smart Africa's vision for a single digital market through compatible systems, like biometric ID cards that work across borders. Connectivity issues are raised, and Koné mentions the Intra-Africa Backbone project to link countries, though progress is slow. The interview concludes with cybersecurity, where Koné notes the African Network of Cybersecurity Authority (ANCA) helps coordinate among over 30 operational authorities, emphasizing its importance for sovereignty.

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