Google invests more toward AI skills, subsea cables
Google today announced a new set of investments in Africa including free access to advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools for students, increased funding of education initiatives and expanded connectivity projects.
The first announcement was the development of four strategic subsea cable connectivity hubs in the north, south, east and west regions of Africa.
Google said this investment creates new digital corridors within Africa and between Africa and the rest of the world – ultimately deepening international connectivity and resilience and spurring economic growth and opportunity.
This is the latest addition to Google’s Africa Connect infrastructure program, which includes the Google Cloud region in Johannesburg serving users across the continent; the Equiano subsea cable running along the entire western seaboard of the continent; and Umoja, the first fiber optic route to directly connect Africa with Australia (running through Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa).
Google claimed its investments to date have enabled 100 million Africans to access the Internet for the first time.
It also said the Equiano cable is expected to increase real GDP this year in Nigeria, South Africa and Namibia by an estimated $11.1 billion, $5.8 billion and $290 million, respectively.
Youth-led learning and innovation
Google said enabling Africa’s young people to learn, innovate and lead is critical to the continent’s development and economic growth.
Therefore, Google today also announced free one-year subscriptions to the Google AI Pro plan for college students (18 or older) across the continent.
The offer will start with students in Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
The subscription provides advanced AI features to students including Deep Research, which helps students save time with custom research reports and in-depth information from hundreds of sources across the web.
With expanded access to Gemini 2.5 Pro, students can also get help with homework or writing and access the full suite of Pro tools, including Guided Learning in Gemini, a new mode that acts as a learning companion.
James Manyika, Google’s SVP for research, labs, technology and society, said equipping people with AI skills is critical.
“To date, we’ve trained 7 million Africans and plan to train an additional 3 million students, young people, and teachers by 2030,” Manyika said in a blog post about the new investments.
He said Google had already provided African universities and research institutions with over $17 million in funding, curriculum, training and compute, and access to advanced AI models over the past four years.
Google plans to spend an additional $9 million for new funding for African universities and research institutions in the coming year.
“Africa’s digital economy holds immense potential, and it will be driven by the talent and ingenuity of its next generation. Today’s announcements, spanning AI education, advanced tools for students, and expanded connectivity, are a unified investment into the upward trajectory of the continent,” Google Africa MD Alex Okosi said in a press statement.
“We are committed to providing the foundational infrastructure, the cutting-edge tools, and the financial support necessary for Africa’s youth to innovate, lead, and build a thriving digital world,” Okosi added.
.jpg?width=1280&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale "Google Africa MD Alex Okosi.")
Google Africa MD Alex Okosi. (Source: Google)
These new announcements are in addition to the $1 billion investment in Africa that Google announced back in 2021.
They also follow Google’s July 2025 commitment to invest $37 million into AI projects and skills development across Africa.
Google has also supported 153 startups from 17 African nations through the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa program, helping them raise $300 million and create 3,500 jobs.