Artificial intelligence (AI) could enable Malawi and other developing countries to achieve, within a decade, what might otherwise take a century, the World Bank has said.
The bank says the country must urgently invest in electricity, connectivity, skills and digital infrastructure to harness the technology.
The World Bank Group’s ‘World Development Report 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence’ identifies AI as an opportunity for low and middle-income countries to overcome development challenges that have persisted for decades.
“In only a few years, AI has evolved from making predictions to generating content from text, audio and video to now autonomously executing complex tasks,” the report reads.
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However, the World Bank warns that countries that fail to establish the foundations needed for effective AI optimisation risk being left behind as the technology rapidly transforms economies and societies.
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The group says developing countries such as Malawi can benefit from AI by adopting existing AI tools, adapting AI to local needs and by advancing the technology through building their own models and the infrastructure that powers them.
World Bank Group Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Indermit Gill described AI as a lifeline that developing countries can utilise in advancing their growth.
“By adapting small, low-cost AI tools to local conditions, they can bring better medical care, education, judicial services and agricultural extension [services] within reach of millions,” he said.
However, the report warns that gaps in infrastructure, skills and institutional capacity could limit the benefits.
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The report notes that in sub-Saharan Africa, nearly one-third of rural schools lack reliable electricity while more than two-thirds lack dependable internet access, making adoption challenging.
AI expert and Secretary General for the ICT Association of Malawi (Ictam) Exile Njoka said Malawi must first put in place appropriate policies and a legal and regulatory framework to govern AI and promote its ethical development and adoption.
“We need to properly organise the legal and regulatory framework that can allow us to easily govern AI and drive its creation and adoption in an ethical way,” Njoka said.
Economist Marvin Banda said the greatest economic value of AI for Malawi would likely come through productivity rather than replacing workers.
