Microsoft Plans to Train 3 Million Africans in AI as It Takes on China’s DeepSeek

Microsoft says it will train three million people across Africa in artificial intelligence skills in 2026, as the company ramps up efforts to expand its AI ecosystem on the continent and compete with rising alternatives such as DeepSeek.

The initiative, called Microsoft Elevate, will run through partnerships with schools, universities, and public institutions across South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, and Morocco.

Naim Yazbeck confirmed the programme in a March 12 interview with Bloomberg, saying the goal is to expand AI literacy across the continent. “To make sure cost is not a barrier to building AI literacy at scale,” Yazbeck said.

Microsoft’s push comes as Chinese AI platforms gain traction in Africa.

Yazbeck told Bloomberg that DeepSeek, an open-source AI platform from China, is one of the competitors Microsoft is responding to. “Chinese technology is active in Africa, and our job is to compete,” he said.