Afrik, the economic development platform designed to accelerate Africa’s Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), will attend the Global AI Summit in Rwanda, ahead of its upcoming launch. The invitation-only summit hosted by Rwandan President H.E Paul Kagame and the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) in Rwanda, brings together leaders, key stakeholders, policymakers, and innovators to explore AI’s transformative role in Africa’s development.
Afrik is a revolutionary and first-of-its-kind decentralized financial and governance platform designed to reshape Africa’s economic landscape through enabling the financing of green energy projects and AI. By leveraging blockchain and AI, Afrik provides a transparent and efficient funding mechanism, enabling access to capital for a wide range of projects related to AI from a wide variety of financial actors, from institutional financial institutions to individuals. The platform facilitates funding for relevant projects through a digital asset that is globally tradable, creating a new financial paradigm where African development is driven by African resources and innovation.
“Africa is poised to lead global sustainability in the Fourth Industrial Age. The continent holds 30% of the world’s mineral resources, vast renewable energy potential, and a young, growing workforce. Moving beyond the outdated model of extractive economies, The Afrik Foundation aims to unlock capital to accelerate green innovation and energy projects,” says James Saruchera, co-founder of Afrik. “By providing African nationals with financial leverage in global markets, Afrik fosters prosperity through greater transparency, governance, and security in investments.”
The Global AI Summit in Africa seeks to harness AI’s potential for sustainable economic growth, innovation, and digital transformation. Saruchera emphasized the importance of the summit in advancing Africa’s digital future: “The Global AI Summit highlights the need for Africa to take ownership of its technological and economic destiny. AI, blockchain, and decentralized finance will define the continent’s next growth phase. Afrik is a solution that integrates these technologies to empower communities and governments to finance development on their own terms.”
Jean-Marc Bourreau, economist and Afrik co-founder, adds: “Afrik enables funding through a digital asset that is globally tradable, that includes innovative features, such as smart contracts, and that will help African economies to direct more resources towards the private sector involved in 4IR. The objective is to boost productivity in Africa and close the economic development gap with the most advanced economies. Afrik is about developing Africa at the speed of AI.”
Ahead of its launch, Afrik has been endorsed by high-profile entrepreneurs and economists. Arlinda Peixoto, Founder and CEO of leading fintech Pagali, said: “Afrik aligns strongly with the need for African self-reliance and economic independence, leveraging digital transformation to break dependency on external financial structures. By integrating technology and finance, it positions Africa to take advantage of AI-driven economic models, blockchain technology, and decentralized financial systems. Crucially, the emphasis on broad discussions, feedback, and inclusivity suggests an effort to create a grassroots movement rather than imposing a top-down solution.” Patrick Sergant, a leading lawyer in Dakar noted: “Afrik is the most innovative instrument I have seen for the financing of Africa’s development.”
“Africa has the potential to lead in AI and digital infrastructure, but it must control the economic frameworks that power these sectors,” added Saruchera. “Afrik offers a borderless financial model that allows African innovation to be funded by African capital. Afrik marks a pivotal shift toward an Africa-driven economic model built on financial sovereignty and equitable access to capital. The insights gained from the Global AI Summit will further inform Afrik’s mission as it prepares to introduce its funding platform to the market.”
