African Development Bank and UNDP AI Hub Free Government AI Training 2026 for Public Servants
Overview
The African Development Bank and the UNDP AI Hub for Sustainable Development, working with Google and Apolitical, are offering free artificial intelligence training for government officials and public servants. The aim is to build AI capability in the public sector so that staff can understand AI, find practical uses, manage risks and support responsible adoption in their institutions.
The courses are delivered through the Apolitical Government AI Campus, which aims to prepare 1 million public servants for the age of AI. The Campus is backed by Google.org and the Rockefeller Foundation and is technology-agnostic, meaning it does not promote one AI product. The programme information reports that 84% of users say the training made them more effective at work and 87% say it was relevant to their daily tasks.
What you get
Selected applicants receive access to a curated set of courses. They are fully online, self-paced, available from any device and have no mandatory live sessions. Most take about two to three hours, and progress is saved automatically so learners can pause and return. The initiative features seven core courses; three are described.
The first, Understand How AI Impacts You and Your Government, is an introduction needing no technical background. It covers what AI is, its limits, its benefits and risks in the public sector, and responsible use. The second, AI Fundamentals for Public Servants, uses content from Stanford Online to explain how AI works and to examine trust, fairness, privacy, ethics, regulation and human-centred adoption. The third, Effective Prompt Engineering for Public Servants, teaches how to write prompts for generative AI, judge the answers and refine instructions for everyday professional tasks.
Who can apply
The training is designed for government officials and public servants, particularly those in Africa and elsewhere who are exploring AI for service delivery, policymaking, procurement, healthcare and climate action.
Key dates
Applications are open, with a deadline of 30 September 2026.