In late 2025, partners from across Africa and Europe came together virtually to mark the official launch of AFRICAI-RI, a new Horizon Europe – Global Health EDCTP3 project with an ambitious goal: to build Africa’s first federated biomedical imaging research infrastructure and lay the foundations for ethical, inclusive, and trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.
Although the kick-off meeting took place online, the sense of shared purpose was tangible. Researchers, clinicians, and innovators joined from different countries and institutions, united by a common vision: to build with Africa, for Africa, and to ensure that AI technologies for health are shaped by local expertise, needs, and values.
Coordinated by Karim Lekadir, ICREA Research Professor and Director of the BCN-AIM Lab at the Universitat de Barcelona, together with Dr Dinis Nguenha, Scientific Coordinator, Fundação Manhiça, AFRICAI-RI brings together 14 leading institutions from Africa and Europe. Over the next four years (2025–2029), the consortium will work side by side to design and deploy a federated research infrastructure that connects hospitals, universities, and research centres across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Rather than centralising sensitive medical data, AFRICAI-RI is built around the principle of federated learning. This approach allows AI models to be trained across distributed imaging datasets while patient data remain securely stored at their local institutions, preserving data privacy, sovereignty, and trust.
“AFRICAI-RI represents a new chapter for digital health and medical imaging in Africa,” says Karim Lekadir. “It’s about empowering local researchers and clinicians to drive AI innovation in ways that are ethical, trustworthy, and sustainable.”
One of the defining features of AFRICAI-RI is its co-design approach. From the outset, African institutions are not only participants but co-architects of the infrastructure. During the kick-off meeting, partners discussed how technical design, governance frameworks, and capacity-building activities will be shaped collaboratively, reflecting diverse clinical realities and research environments.
The project will initially focus on tuberculosis and pneumonia, two of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa. By combining medical imaging data with advanced AI techniques, AFRICAI-RI aims to support earlier, more accurate diagnosis while strengthening local research ecosystems.
“AFRICAI-RI is redefining digital health collaboration, where African institutions lead, data stays local, and AI becomes a tool for equity.” says Dr Dinis Nguenha, Scientific Coordinator. “We are building more than AI models; we are building a future where Africa drives the standards of ethical, scalable digital health.”
Beyond infrastructure, AFRICAI-RI places strong emphasis on training, knowledge exchange, and ethical governance. Researchers and clinicians across participating sites will gain access to tools, training opportunities, and collaborative AI challenges designed to foster local innovation and leadership in medical AI.
Funded under the Horizon Europe – Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking, AFRICAI-RI reflects a growing commitment to responsible AI for global health, where technological excellence goes hand in hand with fairness, inclusivity, and real-world impact.
As the project progresses, AFRICAI-RI partners will continue working closely to turn this shared vision into reality: building an infrastructure that supports collaboration, respects local context, and helps shape the future of AI-powered healthcare in Africa.