ADQ and the Gates Foundation have announced a four-year, $40 million partnership aimed at expanding the ethical use of artificial intelligence and education technology to improve learning outcomes across sub-Saharan Africa.
The initiative, unveiled on the sidelines of Abu Dhabi Finance Week during a visit by Bill Gates to the United Arab Emirates, will combine up to $20 million from ADQ with matching support from the Gates Foundation. The partnership seeks to address persistent education challenges by strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy through responsible AI deployment.
Africa is projected to be home to one in three of the world’s young people by 2050. Yet today, nine in 10 children in the region are unable to read or perform basic math by age 10, according to figures cited in the announcement. The partners said digital learning platforms, data technologies and AI-enabled tools are increasingly becoming essential infrastructure for national development, alongside transport, energy and logistics systems.
The partnership will focus on two flagship programs. The first, AI-for-Education, launched globally in 2022, develops practical models for AI-enabled learning and provides guidance to governments in the Global South. The second is the EdTech and AI Fund, a new multi-investor vehicle expected to launch next year to scale proven education technology and AI solutions across sub-Saharan Africa. The fund will be jointly anchored by ADQ and the Gates Foundation and is positioned as the first vehicle dedicated to national-level expansion of interventions shown to improve foundational learning.
The announcement highlighted structural gaps in the sector. More than 93% of education technology products in low- and middle-income countries are not tested for proof of learning impact. Sub-Saharan Africa attracts only 2% of global EdTech venture capital, and just 4% of children in the region consistently use digital learning tools.
ADQ Managing Director and Group CEO Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi said the partnership reflects a broader view of infrastructure that includes systems supporting learning, data and intelligent technologies. Bill Gates said AI has significant potential to transform education when applied responsibly and scaled through approaches that are already delivering results.
The initiative aligns with recent commitments made at the 2025 African Union Summit to end learning poverty by 2035. The partners said advances in technology, growing local expertise and increased collaboration create an opportunity to accelerate education outcomes and support inclusive, long-term development across the continent.
