Cameroon has unveiled its first National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (SNIA), outlining a bold vision to position the country as a regional AI leader by 2040. Announced by the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Minette Libom Li Likeng, during the second edition of the National Consultations on AI (CONIA), the roadmap is anchored on seven strategic pillars to guide cross-sector AI integration.
Key pillars of the strategy include
- Governance and Digital Sovereignty—Establishing a dedicated AI Authority, a Presidential Council on AI, and a national legal framework for ethical and regulated AI deployment.
- Data and Infrastructure—Launching a government Data Lake, mass digitisation of services, open data policies, and national interoperability standards.
- Multilingual and Inclusive AI—Developing a sovereign large language model, “GPT Cameroon,” to support national and local languages through linguistic research and voice data collection.
- Sovereign Technological Infrastructure—Deploying 15 solar-powered edge computing nodes for resilient AI processing across all regions.
- Human Capital and Research—Training 4,000 people annually, creating five AI centres of excellence, and implementing talent repatriation and research enhancement programmes.
- Innovation and Sectoral Use Cases—Promoting AI-driven solutions in health, agriculture, education, and justice, with targeted startup and innovation support.
- Regional and International Cooperation—Establishing a regional AI network for Central Africa and expanding export pathways for “Made in Cameroon” AI solutions.
The government estimates that the plan could generate 12,000 direct jobs and boost AI’s contribution to GDP by 1.2% by 2040. The SNIA prioritizes ethical use, inclusivity, and sovereignty, aiming to make AI a catalyst for public service delivery, economic development, and cultural representation in digital spaces.
Source: Tech Africa News
