ROME (ITALPRESS) – Strengthening cooperation between the G7 countries and Africa to increasingly integrate AI into production processes, supporting business initiatives on the continent through the AI Hub for Sustainable Development, a project of the Italian presidency in line with the core principles of the Mattei Plan. This was the topic of the first session of the G7 Ministerial on Industry and Technological Innovation underway in Rome, dedicated to digital development and strengthening value chains with Africa. Presiding over the proceedings was the Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, who at the opening thanked the participants for helping to create “a concrete discussion, anchored in reality, which builds on the conclusions reached in Verona last March and the Leaders’ Declaration, in Borgo Egnazia.”
In recent months, the Italian G7 Presidency and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) have been advancing the project to launch the AI Hub for Sustainable Development, a pioneering initiative that aims to strengthen local Artificial Intelligence ecosystems in African countries in key sectors such as agriculture, health, infrastructure, education, training, water and energy, in line with the “Mattei Plan” developed by the Italian government. The Hub’s goals include promoting strategic partnerships aimed at stimulating innovation and strengthening local AI ecosystems to create new opportunities for industrial growth, technological advancement and social development.
“The AI Hub for Sustainable Development is part of the Mattei Plan, a priority of the Italian government’s foreign policy. With this tool, we want to contribute to the achievement of development goals by leveraging the private sector and projects of interest to the market,” Minister Urso said during the proceedings.
The Hub will see the light of day in 2025, with headquarters in Italy and the participation of more than 100 entities, including governments, international organizations and technology companies that have expressed interest in working on it.
In addition to G7 members, UNDP and ITU organizations, outreach countries Egypt, India, Kenya, Tunisia and the Netherlands attended the session.
Representatives from 4 African startups identified by Mimit and UNDP as part of the AI Hub activities also spoke: Nasrallah Hassan, Co-Founder Birrama (Ethiopia), Tonee Ndungu, CEO Kytabu (Kenya), Marouen Hammami, CTO IrWise (Tunisia) and Karim Beguir, CEO InstaDeep (Tunisia).
Also participating were representatives of some large companies, both national and multinational, who presented project hypotheses to be brought into the Hub: Julien Groues, Vice President Amazon Web Services, Maximo Ibarra, CEO Engineering, and Farrukh Hussain, Investment Director Sony Group.
At the end of the working session, Minister Urso signed a Memorandum of Collaboration on the AI Hub with UNDP, the International Telecommunication Union, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edmondo Cirielli.
– Photo Agency Photogram –
(ITALPRESS).
