Kate Kallot: Addressing Africa’s environmental data scarcity is key

High quality data is the starting point for transformation.

A lack of data and insights at the first mile has held back sustainability solutions. It is critical to address the gap in timely accessible environmental, climate, and vegetative data, especially in Africa, which is essential for informed decision-making in business, agriculture, and risk mitigation. As the threats of climate change escalate, the demand for data-driven solutions is only set to increase.

Going forward, I think that we can expect relevant, reliable, precise, and unbiased environmental data to be a constant requirement as businesses, researchers, and governments around the world continue to explore a broad range of solutions for adaptation and resilience. 

Amini was born at COP27. I was invited to speak about the intersection of emerging technologies such as AI and natural capital. Feeling the need to go beyond talk, I decided to build a company.

The initial goal was improving transparency at the 'first mile' to protect natural resources. However, there was a deeper problem: A vast data gap. What existed was untrustworthy, limited, and often outdated. AI needs high quality data—as the saying goes: Garbage in, garbage out. From governments to startups to corporations, all need the same data even if they aim to create different solutions. Our mission became clear: Create the infrastructure to catalyze a radical transformation at a global scale led by Africa.

We are building a platform to collect, monitor, and verify environmental data. Our goal is to be the single source of truth for trustworthy, actionable, and accessible data across Africa and the tropical belt where, for decades, trust has been expensive.

We are addressing Africa’s data scarcity with the aim to regenerate natural capital at scale. Leveraging AI, Amini’s data platform is capable of ingesting, aggregating, processing, and analyzing a variety of data types. We employ rigorous validation methods to ensure data integrity, combining satellite data with ground truth measurements, i.e., data validated by empirical analysis, while working with a wide network of domain experts to ensure our data sets are backed by the right expertise. This approach ensures our data's accuracy and reliability, enabling data-based decision making by researchers, policymakers, and businesses across Africa. This in turn supports sustainable practices and enhanced climate resilience for the small holder farmers and communities at the forefront of the climate crisis.

AI's transformative potential for sustainability and economic development in developing countries is immense.

It offers actionable insights for agriculture, enhances climate resilience, and supports sustainable practices. AI's capacity to process vast amounts of data for informed decision-making is unparalleled. However, for the impact of AI to be felt on the ground with small holder communities, the development of AI solutions must be cognizant of the local context. For example, at Amini, we ensure the same data we offer to corporate clients is easily made accessible to farmers for free. Farmers receive agricultural practice insights via SMS and we will be rolling out a data validation mechanism via USSD to enable the same farmers to become active participants in improving the data and solutions based on their on the ground experience. This bottom-up approach harnesses the knowledge of local stakeholders to calibrate AI systems which historically have had severe limitations when outside of the traditional tech bubbles in which they are developed. With this we transform farmers into the stewards of our planet and ensure AI can positively impact those who need it the most.

While AI offers the potential to drive unprecedented development and sustainability, the concern that it might exacerbate inequalities is very real.

To mitigate this risk, it's crucial to prioritize inclusive technology deployment and capacity building. This is something Amini is committed to, working with governments and universities to ensure the equitable access and application of AI and data analytics. This approach not only democratizes access to AI technology but also empowers governments to leverage these tools in addressing local and national challenges, ensuring that AI serves as a catalyst for equitable growth and sustainability. By fostering an environment where governments are equipped and informed, we can ensure that AI contributes positively to closing the digital divide and promoting inclusivity.

AI’s potential to address some of the world's most pressing challenges, including climate change and sustainable development, is enormous. With responsible development and deployment, AI can be a key driver of innovation, equity, and resilience, offering solutions that were previously unimaginable.

The interviewee is external to UBS and the answers provided do not necessarily reflect UBS’s view.

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