Call for concept notes: Research Projects on Socio-economic impacts of artificial intelligence in Africa (Up to CAD1,000,000 in funding)
Application Deadline: 17 September 2025
Call for concept notes: Research Projects on Socio-economic impacts of artificial intelligence in Africa (Up to CAD1,000,000 in funding)
Scope
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), as part of the Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D) program, are pleased to announce a call for concept notes on the socio-economic impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa.
This call supports research that explores how AI is reshaping labour markets, productivity, and inequality across Africa, supporting policy makers to ensure AI works for everyone, especially the most vulnerable.
AI4D invite concept notes that explore the socio-economic impacts of AI in African LMICs, with a focus on differential impacts, inequality and marginalized populations. Projects should address key knowledge gaps and generate evidence to guide responsible AI policies. Responsible AI is safe, inclusive, rights-based, ethical, and sustainable AI.
Research should align with one or more of the following themes:
- Labour and Livelihoods: How AI is transforming labour markets and employment, especially for youth and informal workers.
- Productivity and Economic Transformation: The role of AI in reshaping sectors and supporting inclusive growth.
- Poverty and Inequality: Risks of exclusion and unequal benefit distribution across demographic groups.
- Global Inequality and AI Colonialism: Power imbalances in AI development and strategies for local innovation.
Through this call, AI4D will award up to four grants for up to CAD1 million per project. Projects must be completed within 36 months, including all research and reporting activities. Only short-listed teams will be asked to submit full research proposals for review and funding consideration. Selected projects are anticipated to begin on January 1, 2026.
Key objectives
This call for concept notes invites research projects in Sub-Saharan Africa that aim to fill evidence and data gaps, deepen understanding, and inform policies on the impact of AI on formal and informal employment and labour markets, productivity shifts and the risks of exclusion. These projects should examine what economic resilience entails for low-resourced countries in the digital age by addressing critical knowledge gaps, exploring the differentiated socioeconomic implications of AI and contributing to shaping policies and practices that ensure AI is a driver of jobs and economic growth through concrete recommendations and policy engagement.
The specific objectives are to:
- Generate rigorous, context-specific data and evidence on the socioeconomic impacts of AI.
This includes the differential impacts of AI on labour markets, livelihoods and productivity across sub-Saharan Africa and as part of the global economy. Without locally relevant evidence, AI governance risks being shaped by external actors and values. Existing research does not adequately reflect the diversity and realities of the African continent, and current AI policies and strategies are being developed with an inadequate evidence base on the consequences for jobs, productivity and inequality. This initiative will generate evidence to support the development of responsible AI policies with a strong emphasis on gender equality, disability inclusion and the experiences of marginalized populations. It will amplify African evidence and experiences in the global AI discourse.
- Inform inclusive policymaking on AI.
AI is reshaping economies and labour markets in real time, but most existing research is either speculative or based on Global North contexts. This initiative will provide policy and decision makers with timely, contextual evidence and data on how AI interacts with employment, productivity and inequality in Africa, to support the development of inclusive, rights-based AI policies and strategies across the continent that increase decent opportunities and support economic resilience to change.
- Integrate a strong gender equality, disability and inclusion (GEDI) lens in the generation and translation of knowledge on the socioeconomic impacts of AI.
Research will prioritize the pressing and policy-relevant challenges, particularly those affecting vulnerable and underrepresented groups, including women, youth, people with disabilities and rural communities. These are critical inputs into AI policies and strategies, to ensure economic benefits accrue for all and enhance resilience and opportunities.
Eligibility
Applicants must be legally registered organizations based in African low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with relevant expertise and institutional capacity. Proposals and team expertise must align with the call’s themes. Teams need to meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the call.
More details
For more information, please consult the detailed Call for Concept Notes.
Following the launch of the call for proposals, IDRC will organize an information session to address any queries from potential applicants. This will take place on August 27, 2025, from 8 to 9 a.m. EDT. Click here to join the session.
VISIT THE PAGE HERE AND APPLY
Join our WhatsApp group and Telegram group to receive more opportunities
Visit our social media pages on LinkedIn and Facebook
Also Check: Call for Applications: Google Startups for Sustainable Development Program
