Google Gives Free AI Pro Access to African Students

Google has unveiled a new initiative that will grant university students across Africa free access to its AI Pro plan for one year. The rollout begins in Nigeria before expanding to Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe.

The subscription gives students aged 18 and above access to advanced tools, including Deep Research, which compiles tailored reports from hundreds of sources, and Gemini 2.5 Pro, designed to support academic writing and research. Google said the programme reflects its goal of equipping Africa’s youth with the skills needed to thrive in an AI-first world.

Investing in Africa’s AI Future

Over the last four years, Google has committed more than $17 million to African universities and research centres, covering curriculum development, training, and access to AI models. The company said a further $9 million is earmarked for the coming year.

According to the tech giant, over seven million Africans have already benefitted from its digital training initiatives, with an additional three million expected to gain skills before 2030. “Africa’s digital economy holds immense potential, and it will be driven by the talent and ingenuity of its next generation,” said Alex Okosi, Google’s Managing Director for Africa. “Today’s announcements, spanning AI education, advanced tools for students, and expanded connectivity, are a unified investment into the upward trajectory of the continent.”

Expanding Connectivity Across the Continent

Alongside the AI programme, Google also confirmed it will establish four new subsea cable hubs across Africa. The hubs, spread across the north, south, east, and west of the continent, are expected to strengthen Africa’s connectivity to the rest of the world.

These hubs will build on the Africa Connect programme, which includes the Equiano subsea cable along the western coast and the Umoja fibre route linking Kenya to Australia. Google projects that Equiano alone could add $11.1 billion to Nigeria’s GDP in 2025, alongside $5.8 billion in South Africa and $290 million in Namibia.

The announcement underlines Google’s dual strategy of empowering African students with cutting-edge AI tools while improving internet infrastructure to support future digital economies.