Unlocking Agentic AI: Africa’s Next Technological Inflection Point

The conversation around AI in Africa is changing, from abstract potential to real-world application. At the Africa Tech Festival in Cape Town, a high-level panel dug into a key question: what happens when AI stops simply generating responses and starts taking action on its own?

This isn’t just about automation. It’s about autonomy. It’s about the emergence of agentic AI, systems that don’t just respond but execute. From booking flights to coordinating medical supply chains, these AI agents operate with goals, not just prompts. The panel, featuring top thinkers from Microsoft Africa, Infrastructure South Africa, Lufthansa Group, and Data Resolution, explored how this shift could become Africa’s defining moment in the AI age.

Ravi Bhat, Chief Technology and Solutions Officer at Microsoft Africa, framed it plainly: “Agents do things for us.” That, he explained, is the core distinction between today’s generative models and the agentic AI systems on the horizon. A chatbot tells you the price of a flight. An agentic AI books it, cheapest option, right time, confirmed. And it doesn’t need to be asked twice.

But what does this capability mean in a region where infrastructure is uneven, access is limited, and use cases are often hyper-local? A lot, it turns out.

Grounded Applications in Agriculture and Health

Abdul Kader Baba, CTIO at Infrastructure South Africa, pointed to two areas where agentic AI could deliver outsized impact: agriculture and healthcare logistics. These aren’t theoretical use cases; they’re urgent national priorities. In agriculture, intelligent agents could help smallholder farmers access market data, manage crop cycles, or even apply for microloans, all in their native languages. In healthcare, autonomous systems could ensure life-saving drugs are routed to rural clinics in real time without requiring manual intervention at every step.

This kind of AI doesn’t just assist, it acts. It bridges the last mile where humans can’t, or won’t, go.

Agentic AI Built for African Conditions

But systems built in Silicon Valley won’t work off the shelf in Kisumu, Kano, or Kigali. The African context demands AI agents that can operate with low bandwidth, limited power, and intermittent connectivity. “You need to build agents that are purpose-driven and environment-aware,” said Bhat. These agents must operate offline, conserve energy, and localize actions within community realities.

In this regard, Africa could flip its infrastructure challenges into design constraints, forcing developers to build leaner, smarter agents. Not just copy-paste solutions from elsewhere, but new ones born from necessity.

Skills and Builders: Who Will Build These Agents?

Several panellists emphasized that Africa’s AI opportunity will be won or lost on the skills question. But not just coding. The panel highlighted a wider skills spectrum: understanding user context, defining clear goals, and collaborating across public and private sectors.

Katarzyna Hewett, Head of AI at Data Resolution, noted the growing talent base across the continent. “It’s not just about builders. It’s about sharp ideas,” she said. “Cape Town is a great place for that collision—ideas meeting engineers, startups meeting enterprise.” Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, all were mentioned as emerging hubs. But scaling talent remains a continent-wide challenge.

Still, the optimism was palpable. “We don’t lack talent,” said Baba. “We lack connective platforms to scale that talent with purpose.”

Trust and Infrastructure: Big Tech, Small Players

Can African organizations trust large global firms to support their agentic AI ambitions? The answers varied. Big tech firms bring infrastructure, compliance, and scale. But smaller African providers offer agility, cultural nuance, and speed. “It’s not about trust, it’s about fit,” said one speaker. “What do you need, and who can get you there fastest?”

Interestingly, the panel didn’t pit large and small against each other. Instead, they called for layered ecosystems, where startups use hyperscaler infrastructure and global platforms open space for local innovation. “You don’t need to build the port,” said one panellist, referencing Microsoft. “You just need to dock and refine.”

Governance: A Missing Framework

The panel didn’t dodge the governance question. Regulation is lagging across Africa, even as agentic AI evolves rapidly. Without clear guardrails, the risk is that AI systems, especially those making autonomous decisions, could cause more harm than good.

“Ethics can’t be a footnote,” said Hewett. Europe’s AI Act and GDPR were cited as examples of proactive regulation. But in Africa, the lack of coherent frameworks creates a vacuum. Panelists urged policymakers to engage early, not just with tech firms but with communities, academics, and civic groups. One-size-fits-all rules won’t work, but neither will policy silence.

Building the Agents That Matter

In the end, the panel wasn’t just a forecast. It was a challenge. Africa can’t afford to wait for imported solutions. It must define its own agentic AI models, grounded in local problems, shaped by African realities, and powered by African talent.

The tools are here. The infrastructure is catching up. The ideas are already taking root. The next leap in African innovation won’t be theoretical. It will be agentic.

The only question left is: who will build the agents that will shape Africa’s future?