KOAFEC: Korea and Africa bet on AI for the next two years
In Seoul, 45 African countries and the African Development Bank adopted a 2027–2028 action plan with Korea. On the agenda: training, data centres and cloud credits for start-ups.
- KOAFEC, Seoul, 8–11 September: 800 participants, 45 African countries.
- A 2027–2028 action plan focused on AI, data centres and training.
- Africa accounts for only 2% of global data centre capacity.
The eighth Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation ministerial conference (KOAFEC) was held in Seoul from 8 to 11 September 2026, twenty years after the first edition. About 800 participants, including representatives of 45 African countries, gathered around one theme: artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure serving the continent’s transformation.
What Korea is offering
- An advanced technology training institute in Tanzania (AI, robotics, data analysis).
- Cloud access vouchers for African start-ups (the “K-AI Cloud Voucher”).
- A package combining data centres, energy, connectivity and AI applications for agriculture, health, energy and transport.
A joint declaration and a 2027–2028 action plan were adopted on 9 September. They put AI, digital infrastructure and training at the heart of cooperation, and provide for the creation of an African hub dedicated to artificial intelligence.
The gap to close
The figures presented in Seoul are a reminder of the scale of the task: Africa accounts for less than 2% of global data centre capacity, and about 80% of African data is hosted outside the continent. The President of the African Development Bank, Sidi Ould Tah, estimates that AI could add a trillion dollars to African GDP from 2035, if investment follows.
- La KOAFEC 2026 place l’intelligence artificielle au cœur du partenariat de développement entre la Corée et l’Afrique, AllAfrica / Banque africaine de développement.
- KOAFEC 2026 : la Corée et l’Afrique adoptent une feuille de route pour la transformation numérique du continent, Banque africaine de développement.
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