Cybastion CEO Dr. Thierry Wandji has called for stronger and more reliable digital infrastructure across Africa to support the continent’s growing adoption of artificial intelligence.
Wandji made the remarks on September 9 during a ministerial roundtable titled “Building Digital Infrastructure to Enable AI Adoption in Africa” at the eighth Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation Ministerial Conference in Seoul, South Korea. The conference was held from September 8 to 11.
He highlighted several infrastructure priorities needed to support wider AI deployment, including sovereign data centres, reliable energy supply, high-speed connectivity, strong cybersecurity capabilities and a skilled local workforce.
Wandji also highlighted Cybastion’s Digital Fast Track platform, an ecosystem-based approach designed to combine digital infrastructure and energy, AI-powered public services, cybersecurity and workforce development. The platform aims to help African governments strengthen digital capabilities and improve readiness for AI adoption.
According to Wandji, AI could support a range of public-sector applications across Africa, including detecting fraud and revenue losses in public finance, monitoring critical infrastructure and forecasting agricultural yields. Adaptive learning platforms could also help expand access to education and support more personalised learning.
The Cybastion CEO stressed that AI adoption should be accompanied by responsible governance frameworks that protect national data, strengthen government oversight and ensure AI systems reflect Africa’s diverse languages, needs and local contexts.
He further called on African governments to establish regulatory sandboxes, strengthen data protection frameworks and pursue public-private partnerships to attract investment into the infrastructure required to develop and deploy AI solutions.
The discussion highlights the growing importance of building Africa’s digital foundations alongside AI strategies, with infrastructure, energy, skills, cybersecurity and responsible governance emerging as key requirements for sustainable AI adoption across the continen
