Nigerian entrepreneur and technology specialist Elizabeth Jack-Rich says artificial intelligence remains undervalued in Nigeria and much of Africa because discussions about the technology often ignore the real-world foundation required to make it work at scale—electricity, industrial capability and dependable supplies of key inputs. Speaking at a recent AI-oriented gathering in Washington, United States, she argued that the continent’s opportunities in the emerging AI economy are frequently mischaracterized, even as demand grows for the minerals and energy systems needed to run AI platforms and the data centres that support them.
Key takeaways
- Elizabeth Jack-Rich links AI’s underrecognition in Africa to a lack of focus on physical infrastructure and input supply.
- She says AI should be understood not only as software, but as a “physics” and systems challenge tied to power and resource processing.
- Jack-Rich argues Africa’s contribution is underestimated beyond mining, including the ability to build integrated industrial capacity.
- She contends the next decade will reward operators located on the continent, not only external mineral suppliers.
- Her comments come as global demand rises for critical minerals and energy infrastructure to support AI and digital technologies.
Why AI is not just a software story
Jack-Rich told the audience that AI is commonly framed as a purely digital transformation, but that framing misses how the technology is actually enabled. In her view, the bottlenecks and competitiveness in AI development are tightly connected to the availability of electricity and the ability to deploy infrastructure, alongside the industrial systems required to extract, refine and process essential resources.
She said the continent’s discussion of AI often stays at the level of applications and code, when the more fundamental constraints are tied to power generation and the material supply chains that feed the hardware and data infrastructure underlying AI services. “Everyone talks about AI as a software story, but it is not,” she said, adding that it is fundamentally about power, the physical systems that support it, and the supply chain required to work with critical inputs.
Africa’s role in the next phase of the AI economy
Jack-Rich also argued that Africa’s place in the expanding AI economy is frequently understated. While many narratives focus on the region’s mineral deposits and its role as a source of key commodities, she said the more important factor is the potential to move from resource supply to stronger, more integrated industrial capacity.
In her remarks, she emphasized that the undervaluation is not simply about whether Africa has major deposits or supplies minerals. Rather, she said, it is about how the next decade may favour operators who can build and run the necessary systems on the continent—particularly those positioned to benefit from the growing demand for the materials and energy infrastructure required for AI.
Rising demand for minerals and energy for AI
Her comments arrive amid increasing worldwide pressure for critical minerals and the energy build-out needed to support AI systems, data centres and other digital technologies. As these technologies expand, the requirement for reliable power and industrial inputs becomes more central to how quickly countries and companies can scale AI capabilities.
Daily Post said the AI economy is forecast to add $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, underscoring why the question of infrastructure and supply chains—rather than software alone—has become more prominent in policy and investment discussions.
