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A Message From The Team Lead.
Building The AI4D Climate Hub Ecosystem Together
In our October 2025 newsletter, we shared an important milestone: the Local Development Research Institute (LDRI) was awarded a grant to establish the AI4D Research and Innovation for Climate Hub (AI4D Climate Hub). Developed in partnership with Africlimate AI and funded by Canada’s IDRC and the UK’s FCDO, the Hub represents a significant step in strengthening Africa’s climate AI ecosystem.
We are revisiting this milestone not simply as an update, but as an invitation to you, as a valued member of the community we are building and investing in, to help shape the future of climate AI in Africa.
As we know, Africa continues to generate bold, high-potential climate AI innovations. However, many of these solutions struggle to move beyond the pilot phase due to limited infrastructure, fragmented partnerships, and insufficient long-term support. The AI4D Climate Hub is designed to help close that gap by building the connective infrastructure that enables responsible AI solutions to scale and deliver lasting impact for resilient communities.
The three priority areas guiding the Hub’s work include;
1. Support for climate AI innovations with high scaling potential:
Over the next three years, we'll provide hands-on support to a carefully selected cohort by pairing teams with funding, coaching, research, data access, governments and pathways for entry into new markets. Our first innovation, ImvulaNet by AfriClimate AI, is already underway: a citizen science-driven seasonal forecasting system co-developed with smallholder farmers in South Africa.
2. Building the evidence base for responsible scaling of Climate AI solutions:
We're building a rigorous evidence base on what inclusive and responsible Climate AI innovation looks like in African contexts. But we are also tackling the harder questions such as:
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What are the infrastructure, capital, and partnership requirements for transitioning climate AI innovations from prototype to scale?
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How do we develop energy-efficient, resource-conscious AI models that deliver net-positive environmental impact when deployed at scale?
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What does meaningful community adoption and non-commercial pathways for impact look like, and how do we design for it from the start?
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How do we ensure AI-driven climate solutions serve as public goods, are accessible, inclusive, and community-owned?
We want our research to inform decisions both by the innovations we support but also by the wider climate and AI communities and stakeholders.
3. An enabling policy environment.
Promising innovations may still die when they hit the regulatory barriers or, in some instances, cannot be adopted at national or regional levels. The Hub will work alongside policymakers to build the frameworks that support scaling of responsible climate AI solutions, be it across borders, into national programs, and into the hands of communities that need them.
As we build the Hub, we are designing it to serve as an observatory for the broader climate AI ecosystem. We know the most promising innovations, events, and opportunities will not surface through us alone, and we invite you to share the work and conversations that deserve greater visibility and support.
In the months ahead, we will onboard our first cohort of innovators and announce a research partner to anchor the Hub’s climate science agenda. We also welcome partners interested in co-investing in and supporting this cohort through funding, technical expertise, or strategic collaboration.
We look forward to engaging many of you in person later this year as we convene at global events and host our own community gatherings. We hope you will join us as we shape this ecosystem together.
All the best!
Leonida Mutuku
Lead, AI4D Climate Innovation Hub
leo@developlocal.org
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