Tanzania plans AI data centres

SEOUL: THE government plans to establish artificial intelligence (AI) data centres as the country prepares for wider use of the technology across key sectors of the economy, the Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Ms Angela Kairuki, has said. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) on the sidelines of the 2026 Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC) Ministerial Conference in Seoul, South Korea, Ms Kairuki said Tanzania was already assessing the infrastructure needed to support AI development. “We already have clean electricity and sufficient access to water.

These are among the key requirements for building data centres in the country. We are preparing to establish AI data centres so that we can be better prepared,” she said. AI data centres forms part of broader efforts to prepare the country for the growing use of AI across key sectors of the economy, she said.

The Minister said the government was also seeking international partnerships to develop the infrastructure, skills and financing needed to support AI adoption. The four-day conference, that began on Tuesday and ends today under the theme Harnessing AI and Digital Infrastructure for Africa’s Transformation, has brought together African and South Korean leaders to discuss technology, investment and digital development. Ms Kairuki said discussions focused on expanding digital infrastructure, AI and the digital economy, including the application of emerging technologies in health, education, agriculture, mining, defence and public services.

“We want to be prepared for the use of AI and its various systems, as well as all the infrastructure required,” she said. She said Tanzania also needed stronger technical capacity among government institutions, public-sector professionals and privatesector players to support effective AI adoption. The minister said the government was engaging development partners and international financial institutions to support training and capacitybuilding programmes that would strengthen the country’s AI ecosystem.

She said cooperation with South Korea continued to support Tanzania’s wider digital transformation agenda, noting that about 2.5 million US dollars had been secured through the partnership, including funding for the establishment of a digital technology university at Nala in Dodoma.