Google announced the Africa Applied AI Lab on July 1, 2026, during its first Google Cloud Summit in Africa in Johannesburg, based at the Accra AI Community Centre in Ghana. The lab will give selected African startups and researchers early access to Google DeepMind models such as Gemini, Gemma, and Veo, plus technical mentorship from Google Research and go-to-market support from VC firms including Novastar Ventures and Ventures Platform. Applications opened July 1 and close August 31, 2026, building on Google’s existing 2019 Accra research center and 2025 AI Community Centre.
