Written by The FATE Foundation, in partnership with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) and supported by Google.org, is inviting applications for the AI Upskilling Programme 2026, a continent-level initiative designed to strengthen artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa.
About the AI Upskilling Programme
The AI Upskilling Programme is part of a multi-year, multi-country partnership supported with a $4 million grant from Google.org to build a sustainable and scalable AI education ecosystem in Sub-Saharan Africa.
It focuses on empowering higher educational institutions, including lecturers, teaching assistants, and students ,with advanced AI skills and helping them integrate AI into teaching, research, and innovation. The initiative is aligned with the Google DeepMind AI Research Foundations Curriculum, adapted for the region’s higher education contexts.
Who Can Apply
This call is specifically for Accredited Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in:
Nigeria
Ghana
Kenya
South Africa
Eligible applicants include HEIs with STEM programmes that can:
- Commit to integrating advanced AI training into their curricula
- Support participation from lecturers, teaching assistants, and senior STEM students
- Engage in monitoring, evaluation, and project reporting
- Participate in AI solution development projects and capstones
Note: Individual student or trainer applications are typically made through nominated institutions rather than directly.
Programme Benefits
Participating institutions and their communities stand to gain:
Capacity Building for Faculty
- Free advanced AI training for lecturers and teaching assistants (AI Champions)
- Certification upon completion
World-Class AI Curriculum
- Access to a localized, globally-aligned AI curriculum developed in partnership with Google DeepMind
- Modules cover areas like small language models, neural networks, transformers, model training, alignment, and real-world deployment
Student Empowerment
- Penultimate and final-year STEM students gain future-ready AI skills applicable to research, innovation, and industry
- Support for building AI solutions that address real-world challenges
Institutional Recognition & Ecosystem Engagement
- Institutional positioning at the forefront of AI education in Africa
- Opportunities for collaboration, AI showcases, community engagement, and research partnerships across countries
How to Apply
- Visit the official programme page:
https://fatefoundation.org/aiupskilling/ - Review eligibility criteria and guidance for institutional participation.
- Complete the online application/registration form with accurate institutional and contact information.
- Submit before the deadline listed on the portal. (Deadlines vary by cohort/period — check the official page.)
For inquiries, contact the programme team via the details provided on the site (typically an email like aiupskilling@fatefoundation.org).