emirates7 - Nine in 10 children in sub-Saharan Africa are unable to read or do basic math by age 10
ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company, and the Gates Foundation announced a partnership to expand the ethical use of AI in education for children across sub-Saharan Africa.
Across four years, the partnership will deploy a combined $40 million, with ADQ contributing up to $20 million. The announcement was made on the sidelines of Abu Dhabi Finance Week, during a visit by Bill Gates, Chair of the Gates Foundation, to the UAE.
AI has become an integral part of education in a constantly evolving world. In Africa, which will be home to one in every three of the world’s young people by 2050, education remains largely inaccessible.
Nine in 10 children in the region are unable to read or do basic math by age 10. The partnership will look to strengthen early-grade literacy and numeracy, the very foundations of the child's life-long education.
ADQ and Gates Foundation will look to benefit youth through two flagship programmes:
AI-for-Education, a global initiative launched in 2022, develops practical models of AI-enabled learning and provides expert guidance to governments in the Global South.
The EdTech and AI Fund, a new multi-investor vehicle set to launch next year, will scale proven EdTech and AI solutions across sub-Saharan Africa. Jointly anchored by ADQ and the Gates Foundation, it will be the first fund dedicated to national-level expansion of interventions shown to improve foundational learning.
Earlier this year, the Gates Foundation announced a $240 million expansion of its Global Education Programme, a four-year effort to help 15 million children in sub-Saharan Africa and India learn more effectively by delivering cost-efficient and evidence-based solutions in partnership with governments.
Building on this momentum, the UAE is applying its strengths in innovation and technical deployment to accelerate the integration and scaling of AI in education, contributing to the collective effort.
Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of ADQ, said: “As a responsible investor, we have focused on enabling the infrastructure that supports socio-economic development and creating pathways for inclusive growth. While that has traditionally meant physical assets, the systems that support learning, data, and intelligent technologies are becoming equally important to national development.
Bill Gates said: “The UAE has shown leadership in using innovation to expand opportunity, and together we’ll build on that momentum to help children develop the foundational skills that shape their futures.”
ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company, and the Gates Foundation announced a partnership to expand the ethical use of AI in education for children across sub-Saharan Africa.
Across four years, the partnership will deploy a combined $40 million, with ADQ contributing up to $20 million. The announcement was made on the sidelines of Abu Dhabi Finance Week, during a visit by Bill Gates, Chair of the Gates Foundation, to the UAE.
AI has become an integral part of education in a constantly evolving world. In Africa, which will be home to one in every three of the world’s young people by 2050, education remains largely inaccessible.
Nine in 10 children in the region are unable to read or do basic math by age 10. The partnership will look to strengthen early-grade literacy and numeracy, the very foundations of the child's life-long education.
ADQ and Gates Foundation will look to benefit youth through two flagship programmes:
AI-for-Education, a global initiative launched in 2022, develops practical models of AI-enabled learning and provides expert guidance to governments in the Global South.
The EdTech and AI Fund, a new multi-investor vehicle set to launch next year, will scale proven EdTech and AI solutions across sub-Saharan Africa. Jointly anchored by ADQ and the Gates Foundation, it will be the first fund dedicated to national-level expansion of interventions shown to improve foundational learning.
Earlier this year, the Gates Foundation announced a $240 million expansion of its Global Education Programme, a four-year effort to help 15 million children in sub-Saharan Africa and India learn more effectively by delivering cost-efficient and evidence-based solutions in partnership with governments.
Building on this momentum, the UAE is applying its strengths in innovation and technical deployment to accelerate the integration and scaling of AI in education, contributing to the collective effort.
Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of ADQ, said: “As a responsible investor, we have focused on enabling the infrastructure that supports socio-economic development and creating pathways for inclusive growth. While that has traditionally meant physical assets, the systems that support learning, data, and intelligent technologies are becoming equally important to national development.
Bill Gates said: “The UAE has shown leadership in using innovation to expand opportunity, and together we’ll build on that momentum to help children develop the foundational skills that shape their futures.”