Google has confirmed that it has gone beyond its five-year target of investing $1 billion in Africa, marking a major milestone in its long-term commitment to the continent’s digital transformation.

The announcement was made during the Africa Cloud Summit held in Johannesburg, where the company also introduced several new initiatives aimed at strengthening connectivity, artificial intelligence development, and digital skills across African countries.

One of the key projects is the establishment of a connectivity hub in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, which will be the first of four planned hubs across Africa.

This facility will improve internet resilience by linking the continent to Australia through the Umoja subsea cable and also create a new connection route to India, boosting regional and global digital capacity.In addition, Google plans to set up Africa’s first applied AI lab in Ghana.

This lab will collaborate with local startups and provide early access to advanced AI models, helping innovators build solutions tailored to African challenges.

The company also announced a partnership worth over $1 million with Idris Elba’s Akuna Group to train underrepresented creators in AI-driven storytelling and digital content creation.

Furthermore, Google, together with WeThinkCode, will invest in building a digital innovation centre in Soweto valued at 3 million rand to support tech education and entrepreneurship.

Through its startup accelerator programme, Google will also support 15 South African firms as part of a wider goal of backing 50 African startups between 2024 and 2028.

According to James Manyika, Google’s senior vice president for research and technology, the AI opportunity in Africa is significant and the company is committed to working with local partners to realise it.