Korea and Africa have adopted a new 2027–2028 KOAFEC Action Plan centered on AI, digital infrastructure and skills. The framework identifies 13 initiatives across five priority areas, ranging from computing support for African AI start-ups to digital governance, telemedicine and infrastructure projects. Seatedwit Intelligence examines what moves next: financing, implementation and measurable capacity building across African markets. The African Development Bank says the action plan identifies 13 initiatives across five priority areas. Proposed projects include a regional Data Embassy initiative in Sierra Leone, computing support for African AI start-ups, a smart-city platform in Kigali, digital-governance work in Kenya and an AI talent accelerator in The Gambia. Other initiatives address telemedicine, digital agriculture, water management, electricity and digital infrastructure.
The declaration also emphasizes the infrastructure needed to make wider AI adoption possible. Electricity, telecommunications networks, computing capacity, data systems and digital skills remain key constraints in many African markets. The partners said public and private investment will be needed to narrow those gaps while supporting locally relevant AI development and responsible governance.
The agreement matters beyond the technology sector because the program connects digital capacity with agriculture, healthcare, education, public administration and industrial development. The central policy question will now shift from declarations to implementation: which projects secure financing, how quickly infrastructure is delivered, and whether African institutions and businesses build lasting technical capacity rather than relying primarily on imported systems.
The African Development Bank estimates that, with adequate investment in computing power, data, skills, trust frameworks and funding, artificial intelligence could contribute as much as $1 trillion to Africa’s GDP from 2035 onward. That figure is an estimate rather than a guaranteed outcome and depends on substantial enabling investment.
For investors and development institutions, the 2027–2028 period will provide an early test of whether the renewed KOAFEC framework can translate technology cooperation into bankable infrastructure, stronger digital ecosystems and measurable economic outcomes across participating African countries.
Source: African Development Bank Group,