ARUSHA, Tanzania — The East African Community (EAC) and the Government of Germany have launched the second edition of the EAC Artificial Intelligence Challenge, expanding efforts to equip young people across the region with artificial intelligence skills and support locally developed technology solutions.
The initiative, known as AI4EAC, targets 20,000 East Africans for AI skilling and will provide funding, partnerships and opportunities for young innovators, researchers and entrepreneurs across all eight EAC Partner States.
The second edition will offer US$50,000 in prize funding to winning teams and introduce a new Ebola Response Challenge, which will focus on using artificial intelligence to strengthen disease outbreak detection, preparedness and response.
The initiative comes as East African countries seek to expand their digital economies while strengthening regional capacity to respond to emerging public health threats.
New AI challenge targets Ebola preparedness
The Ebola Response Challenge will invite participants to develop AI-powered applications capable of supporting faster identification of disease threats and improving preparedness for potential outbreaks.
The focus builds on cooperation between the EAC and Germany on pandemic preparedness and health security, including lessons drawn from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
Artificial intelligence could be applied to areas such as disease surveillance, early-warning systems, data analysis and emergency response coordination, potentially helping authorities identify emerging threats earlier.
EAC Deputy Secretary General Andrea Aguer Ariik said developing local expertise and partnerships would be critical to ensuring AI contributes meaningfully to the region’s development.
“Our priority is to ensure East Africans have the skills, knowledge and partnerships to harness AI to create jobs, improve public services and develop solutions to our region’s challenges,” Aguer Ariik said.
Equity and German university join initiative
The second edition of AI4EAC has also attracted new strategic partners, including Equity Group Holdings and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
Their participation is expected to strengthen collaboration in AI research, digital skills development and innovation while providing participants with opportunities to connect their ideas to industry and research institutions.
The challenge is open to young innovators, researchers and entrepreneurs across the EAC region.
Beyond the competition, organisers intend to use the programme to widen access to AI knowledge and encourage the development of practical solutions in areas including healthcare, public services and economic development.
Building East Africa’s AI talent
The programme is part of broader efforts by the EAC to strengthen regional cooperation in technology and health security.
The regional bloc has increasingly promoted joint approaches to health emergencies, with previous initiatives involving Germany and other partners focusing on early-warning systems, rapid response and coordination among Partner States.
AI4EAC seeks to combine those efforts with the growing interest in emerging technologies by putting young East Africans at the centre of the region’s digital transformation.
The initiative could also help create a regional pool of AI talent capable of developing solutions tailored to East African challenges, reducing dependence on technologies developed exclusively outside the continent.
With 20,000 people targeted for training and US$50,000 in prize funding, the second AI4EAC challenge is positioning artificial intelligence as a tool not only for technological innovation but also for job creation, public-service improvement and regional health preparedness.
