Leveraging AI for Climate Resilience in Africa: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Need for Collaboration

TL;DR

This paper discusses how AI can aid Africa's climate resilience by addressing challenges like data scarcity and infrastructure gaps, emphasizing the need for collaboration and context-aware solutions.

Contribution

It highlights the importance of a collaborative approach to develop open-source data and AI solutions tailored to Africa's unique climate challenges.

Findings

AI has potential for climate adaptation in Africa

Collaboration is essential for effective AI deployment

Open-source data repositories can enhance AI solutions

Abstract

As climate change issues become more pressing, their impact in Africa calls for urgent, innovative solutions tailored to the continent's unique challenges. While Artificial Intelligence (AI) emerges as a critical and valuable tool for climate change adaptation and mitigation, its effectiveness and potential are contingent upon overcoming significant challenges such as data scarcity, infrastructure gaps, and limited local AI development. This position paper explores the role of AI in climate change adaptation and mitigation in Africa. It advocates for a collaborative approach to build capacity, develop open-source data repositories, and create context-aware, robust AI-driven climate solutions that are culturally and contextually relevant.