Supporting Africa’s public data infrastructure for the AI Age
Public data, from census surveys to administrative records, is essential for solving major societal challenges like food security, climate change, and economic development. For Africa, home to the world’s youngest and fastest-growing population, this data is the engine for an AI-driven future.
Just as the continent leaped past landlines to mobile technology, African nations are poised to pioneer new, AI-ready approaches to public data infrastructure. To help realize this potential, Google is committing $2.25 million to modernize Africa’s public data systems, making them accessible, trustworthy, and ready for the AI age .
This funding will leverage Data Commons, our open-knowledge repository that transforms and organizes the world’s diverse public data into a single, reliable resource. Specifically, this means working with organizations to map disparate datasets onto the Data Commons knowledge graph, creating a unified resource that can be queried and analyzed by the new AI tools the projects will develop.
Establishing a regional Data Commons for Africa
Google.org is providing $750,000 to the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) to launch a regional Data Commons for Africa. This project will build AI-enabled platforms to integrate datasets from across the continent, focusing on critical areas like food security, trade, and economic development.
Beyond the platform, we intend to help support the establishment of regional standards for ethical data sharing and strengthen the technical skills of National Statistical Offices (NSOs). An initial outcome of this effort will be the creation of a unified, AI-ready data foundation that will ultimately empower policymakers to make better, data-informed decisions and accelerate positive societal outcomes across the continent.
Google Vice President for Government Affairs & Public Policy in Emerging Markets, Doron Avni, and UNECA Executive Secretary, Claver Gatete.
Supporting the AI evolution of the Global South
Unlocking the full value of data requires skilled analysis. To support this, Google.org is providing $1.5 million to PARIS21 (The Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century). Starting with Ghana, Rwanda, and Senegal, the project will focus on three objectives: upskilling NSOs with AI training, creating guidelines for data that can be easily understood by both humans and AI, and providing hands-on support to scale open data infrastructure. Together, these objectives will accelerate the use of reliable data for evidence-based policy development in priority sectors such as health, the economy, and climate.
Through its network, PARIS21 will ensure this work—from shared knowledge to co-developed AI tools—drives collective learning that shapes better policy decisions and tangible progress towards global inclusion and development.
From data to actionable insights with Data Commons
Digital transformation is driven by collaboration. Turning fragmented data into policy-ready intelligence requires partnerships that empower institutions to act. Our support for UNECA and PARIS21 continues our tradition of impactful collaborations, like our partnership with the ONE Campaign. Together, we hope these efforts contribute to building a digital, AI-ready future that supports the long-term economic success of African nations.
