Building Africa's Semiconductor Design Capacity
This Semiconductor Fabless Framework 2027-2035 is a Make in Africa proposal for African governments, regional bodies and partner countries. It is a set of proposals, not law. Africa uses chips in every phone, vehicle and data centre, yet designs and makes almost none of them. We aim to change that, starting with chip design, where talent matters more than heavy plant.
By fostering innovation and design excellence, we aim to help African countries become designers of their own technology and a trusted part of the world’s technology supply chain.
Semiconductors underpin Generative AI, cloud computing and data infrastructure. By supporting a design and development ecosystem, we aim to help secure Africa’s economic future and build resilient digital infrastructure that serves Africa and its partners. We ask partner economies for design tools, licence sharing, training and research investment on fair terms.
Join us in building the skills and partnerships that let Africa shape the future of technology.
Vision for 2035
Building Africa's Chip Design and Digital Future
- Establish Africa as a Hub for Fabless Design: Attract design companies and train engineers so that African countries become part of the global semiconductor supply chain.
- Champion a Shared Semiconductor Strategy: Drive innovation in secure chip design for critical infrastructure, telecoms and public services.
- Enable Trusted Data Solutions: Support data centres built on trusted hardware, with secure cloud computing and data protection that serve African users and AI innovation.
- Create Skilled Employment: Generate specialised jobs in chip design, research and development, supporting growth and security.
Mission
Building Africa's Chip Design and Digital Future
The mission of this framework is to help African countries build semiconductor capability by supporting a design and manufacturing ecosystem that fuels digital economies and supports secure, AI-enabled infrastructure. Through this Semiconductor Fabless Framework, Make in Africa aims to:
- Strengthen Digital Security: Support trusted, secure chip designs for sensitive sectors such as telecoms, energy and critical infrastructure.
- Safeguard Data Sovereignty: Support modern data centre infrastructure built on secure hardware, giving a firm base for technologies like Generative AI.
- Grow African Chip Design: Encourage investment and build partnerships among universities, industry and government across regions to advance semiconductor design.
- Welcome Research Partners: Encourage global firms to open research centres in Africa focused on AI chips, machine learning processors and cloud computing, and to share technology and train local engineers.
Ease of Doing Business
Clear Approvals for Security and AI Innovation
We encourage African governments to set up single-window procedures for semiconductor and AI-focused projects, with faster decisions for secure chip design and AI infrastructure, and with dedicated oversight so that companies receive timely approvals, incentives and support to scale up.
Africa at the Table of the Semiconductor and AI Future
This Semiconductor Fabless Framework aims to help Africa build capacity in chip design, data protection and AI innovation. By growing regional design skills, supporting secure data centres and developing AI hardware, Make in Africa aims to see African engineers shape the technology the continent depends on.
Semiconductor Fabless Framework 2027-2035
Make in Africa invites investors, semiconductor innovators and AI pioneers to join this journey and build a secure, self-reliant and innovative Africa.