By Francis Ntow
GNA Special Correspondent, Bangkok /
Bangkok (Thailand), Oct. 13, GNA – Three global leaders are urging Africa to focus on affordable, purpose-built artificial intelligence (AI) solutions that can run on smartphones with limited connectivity, rather than trying to replicate Silicon Valley’s model.
The call came from Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group (WBG), Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of Singapore, at the “Small AI: More and Better Jobs” forum during the ongoing IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok.
They argued that as AI remains in its early stages, Africa’s greatest opportunity lies in deploying practical AI applications that create jobs and boost productivity rather than investing heavily in large-scale AI systems.
The World Bank’s 2025 Country Growth and Jobs Report estimates that about 1.2 billion young people in developing countries, largely in Africa, will reach working age in the coming years, while only 420 million jobs are expected to be created, a gap that AI could further widen.
Mr. Banga said developing economies should focus less on large language models and more on AI tools that deliver tangible benefits in education, healthcare and agriculture.
“It’s about applications that could add enormously to productivity for schools, healthcare systems and smallholder farmers seeking to scale up,” he said.
He noted that the Bank’s strategy now places job creation at the heart of development, stressing that productive employment provides dignity, opportunity and optimism while helping attract private investment.
Mr. Banga identified five sectors with strong job-creation potential in Africa: infrastructure, smallholder agriculture, primary healthcare, tourism, and value-added manufacturing in minerals, metals and the creative industries.
“It’s not that we won’t build schools, highways, skills centres or healthcare clinics. We must do all those things, but with a focus on creating jobs,” he said.
Ms. Georgieva said the world was already experiencing the first wave of AI, which had sparked investment and helped sustain global growth despite wars and energy shocks.
According to IMF research in the United States, about 10 per cent of jobs now require advanced AI-related skills and command higher wages, while routine jobs are declining and lower-paid jobs linked to data centres and support services are expanding.
She said the next phase of AI would be widespread adoption, offering developing countries the opportunity to benefit despite the concentration of AI investment and capabilities in advanced economies.
“The next wave of AI will be adoption, and everybody can participate. If we put the right foundations in place, AI can become as democratic as the mobile phone. However, it must also be fair and safe for developing economies,” she said.
President Shanmugaratnam, who also co-chairs the World Bank’s Jobs Council, warned that economic growth alone would not guarantee quality employment.
“Growth will be critical to securing good jobs, but growth by itself will not be sufficient,” he said.
He urged policymakers to use AI to create jobs that complement human capabilities and provide pathways for career advancement.
The Singaporean leader also advised African countries not to abandon manufacturing because of automation fears, noting that labour in many developing economies remains cheaper than both Chinese labour and robotic alternatives.
He described renewable energy as a “triple win” for Africa, saying it could strengthen energy security, support the AI economy and create jobs, with renewables generating significantly more employment than fossil fuel investments.
The three leaders called on governments to redesign education systems around lifelong learning, create conditions for private-sector growth, and rethink taxation policies as income increasingly shifts from labour to capital.
Thailand is hosting the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings for the second time since 1991, underscoring both the country’s development progress and Asia’s growing influence in the global economic and financial landscape.
The 2026 meetings have brought together central bankers, finance ministers, development partners, business leaders, academics, civil society organisations and journalists to discuss global growth, financial stability, poverty reduction, job creation and climate action.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter: Francis Ntow
[email protected]