Bangladesh, Sept. 25 -- For decades, Africa has often occupied the downstream end of the global innovation chain. New technologies were invented, developed and commercialized elsewhere before being introduced to African markets-often at considerable cost and under conditions largely determined outside the continent. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a particularly stark illustration of this dependency. While scientists developed effective vaccines in record time, many African countries faced severe difficulties securing sufficient supplies.

Artificial intelligence presents Africa with an opportunity to change this pattern. The global AI race is frequently portrayed as a contest between the United States and China to build increasingly power...