Google has announced it will open an Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) research center in Accra, Ghana this year, becoming the first A.I research center in Africa. The search engine's giant made this announcement in a blog post on Wednesday. Google Chief executive Sundar Pichai tweeted '' excited that we'll be opening a new Google AI center in Accra, Ghana''. He added '' really looking forward to our research teams solving challenges with AI for Africa and beyond''. The AI center will bring together machine learning experts and engineers on projects focused on technology and its numerous applications.

Google plans to open an artificial-intelligence research center in Accra, Ghana, the latest in a string of investments the tech company has made in Africa. The research center will focus on using AI in areas such as healthcare, agriculture and education, Google said. "We're committed to collaborating with local universities and research centers, as well as working with policy makers on the potential uses of AI in Africa," the company In a blog post on Wednesday. The new AI center in Ghana will open later this year and include machine learning researchers and engineers, Google said, thought it did provide details on the number of staff it will hire. Google CEO Sundar Pichai promised last year during a visit to Lagos that Google would continue raising its profile on the continent.

"Our guiding principles are: Innovation, Collaboration, and Excellence," said Joel Amoussou, Founder and Director of Atlantic AI Labs . Mr. Amoussou has over 23 years of experience in providing consulting services to Fortune 500 companies in the US and Canada and is a member of the US-based Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The use of AI in healthcare will help alleviate the shortage of specialist physicians in Africa. For example, cancer incidence and mortality rates in Africa are increasing rapidly. AI can be used to analyze patients' clinical data and automatically deliver personalized care recommendations based on globally accepted evidence-based clinical practice guidelines while leveraging the widespread use of smartphones in Africa.