Africa's participation in modern AI development is constrained by severe infrastructural and policy gaps. Important barriers include limited access to high-performance computing (HPC), restricted cloud access due to payment system mismatches, volatile exchange rates, and strict data sovereignty laws that fragment regional collaboration between African Union (AU) member states. Although initiatives such as Cassava AI's network of AI factories to be deployed across the continent signal the growing interest in adopting AI in Africa, these projects remain very targeted, while continental adoption still requires better coordination between African stakeholders. Drawing on official declarations on AI adoption across the continent, this paper offers both qualitative and quantitative evidence that sustainable AI adoption requires robust digital foundations through balanced access to compute, data, and the energy that makes it possible. We refer to these foundations as the "right enablers", considering them as crucial components for success within the current context of the global AI race. We also introduce the \textit{Africa AI Compute Tracker (ACT)}, an interactive map to monitor the availability of AI-ready HPC systems throughout the continent. This tool represents the first open-source effort to consolidate data on Africa's evolving HPC landscape, and aims to encourage more transparency from local AI stakeholders while facilitating broader access for AI developers. The work presented in this paper underscores the urgency of tangible actions aimed at closing the AI divide and allowing Africa to actively shape its AI future.

翻译：非洲参与现代人工智能（AI）发展的进程受到严重基础设施与政策缺口的制约。主要障碍包括：高性能计算（HPC）资源获取受限、支付系统不匹配导致的云服务受限、汇率波动剧烈，以及非洲联盟（AU）成员国之间因严格的数据主权法律而引发的区域协作碎片化。尽管诸如Cassava AI计划在全非部署的AI工厂网络等举措，表明非洲采用AI的兴趣日益增长，但这些项目仍高度聚焦个别领域，整个大陆范围的AI普及仍需非洲各利益相关方之间实现更好的协调。基于全非官方关于AI采用的宣言，本文提供了定性与定量证据，表明可持续的AI采用需要通过均衡获取计算、数据及其所需的能源来夯实数字根基。我们将这些基础称为“正确赋能条件”，认为在当前全球AI竞赛的背景下，它们是成功的关键组成部分。我们还引入了《非洲AI计算追踪器》（Africa AI Compute Tracker, ACT），这是一个交互式地图，用于监测全非各地适用AI的HPC系统的可用性。该工具是首个旨在整合非洲HPC发展格局数据的开源项目，旨在鼓励本地AI利益相关方提高透明度，同时便利AI开发者更广泛的接入。本文所呈现的工作强调了采取切实行动以弥合AI鸿沟、让非洲能够积极塑造自身AI未来的紧迫性。