AI is now a geopolitical asset. African presidents are racing to catch up.  

When African leaders gathered in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, on May 12 for the Africa Forward Summit, artificial intelligence (AI) took centre stage, alongside energy, agriculture and international finance for the first time. That alone marked a change.

Only a few years ago, AI policy on the continent revolved around ethics, digital literacy and startup incubation. Now governments are…