WASHINGTON — Artificial intelligence could help reduce poverty in Africa, but the poorest households risk being left behind, the World Bank says in its October 2026 Africa Economic Update. The report notes that Nigeria's base of software developers on GitHub has grown tenfold since 2020. However, a basic mobile data package in sub-Saharan Africa costs about twice the UN target of 2 per cent of monthly income, and an entry-level phone costs the poorest fifth of the population about three-quarters of a month's income. Across 19 countries, only 12 per cent of the poorest households have both a phone and electricity, compared with 54 per cent of the richest.