At the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed a framework for fair, inclusive global AI governance, backed by targeted AI training programmes, joint technology partnerships, and digital initiatives for the Global South, including Africa. African policymakers are urged to analyse this proposal pragmatically, as the AI revolution offers the continent its first opportunity to participate in building a new technological ecosystem from its inception, rather than repeating past industrial failures of technological dependency and raw material exports. AI provides tangible remedies to Africa’s crises, including forecasting rainfall, identifying crop diseases, powering diagnostic tools for rural clinics, bridging gaps in teaching staff via digital learning platforms, and streamlining public service delivery. China’s cooperative AI agenda, which includes thousands of specialised AI training slots and institutionalised coordination with bodies such as the African Union, challenges the traditional Western model of technology transfer and the monopoly over advanced digital technologies held by wealthy industrialised nations.