Google Offers Free AI Pro Access to Students in Eight African Countries
One-year subscription to Gemini 2.5 Pro and Deep Research aims to boost education and digital skills across the continent.
Google has announced that college students in eight African countries will receive free one-year subscriptions to its Gemini AI Pro plan, a move the tech giant says will accelerate Africa’s digital transformation and prepare its youth for an AI-driven future.
The program, which targets students aged 18 and above, will roll out first in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe.
Beneficiaries will gain access to Gemini 2.5 Pro, Google’s most advanced AI model for research, writing, and reasoning tasks, as well as Deep Research, a tool that scans hundreds of sources to produce structured reports and summaries.
In a statement, Google said the initiative is part of its commitment to “empowering Africa’s next generation of innovators and problem-solvers.”
The company also highlighted that the AI Pro subscription comes bundled with extra benefits such as 2 terabytes of cloud storage and integration across productivity apps like Google Docs, Gmail, and Drive.
Education experts have welcomed the announcement, saying it could transform learning outcomes in regions where students often lack access to advanced academic resources.
“This is a game-changer for African higher education,” said Professor Amina Bello, an ICT policy analyst. “If implemented effectively, it could help bridge the knowledge gap between African students and their peers globally.”
However, some have cautioned that poor internet access and unstable electricity could limit the reach of the program. Rural students, in particular, may struggle to take full advantage of the tools without better infrastructure.
Google has not disclosed how many students will benefit in the first phase but confirmed that eligibility will be verified through its student status platform.
The company has previously invested in training initiatives such as the Google Africa Developer Program and says this AI Pro rollout builds on its broader strategy to support digital growth across the continent.
Source: Nairametrics
