Insider Brief:
- The Africa Quantum Consortium (AQC) officially launches this week, providing the first pan-African coordination platform for quantum science, education, innovation, and policy across the continent.
- AQC has already established core infrastructure, including legal registration in South Africa, high-engagement Quantum Roundtables, the Quantum Circle for women and girls, and a State of Quantum in Africa white paper in the works.
- The organization is actively building long-term capacity, with initiatives such as the Africa Quantum Fund for startups, the AQC Academy for talent development, and strategic partnerships to shape global research and policy from an African perspective.
Today marks the official launch of the Africa Quantum Consortium (AQC): a bold, pan-African initiative designed to unify, equip, and elevate Africa’s quantum ecosystem. The Africa Quantum Consortium is building what’s been missing: a shared foundation for quantum science and technology across the continent. Until now, efforts have been scattered—strong pockets of research, isolated networks, occasional funding, but no lasting coordination. AQC is stepping into that gap with structure, clarity, and long-term commitment.
AQC is a neutral, deeply networked platform. It’s a growing collaboration between people who understand that Africa’s quantum future depends on working together, across borders, disciplines, and generations. By connecting existing talent with shared goals, and creating the infrastructure to support them, AQC is providing the foundation that must underly a sovereign, sustainable quantum ecosystem. It’s the connective tissue that will link researchers, educators, policymakers, startups, and institutions across the continent and diaspora.
“The era of scattered efforts is over,” said Farai Mazhandu, Founder and Convenor of AQC. “My journey in this field taught me that talent without a supportive ecosystem is merely potential. The AQC is the coordination engine we built to solve this, engineering a resilient, full-stack ecosystem from our classrooms to our boardrooms.”
A Vision Built on Four Strategic Pillars:
AQC’s work is organized around four strategic functions that, taken together, create the conditions for a thriving quantum ecosystem that reflects African priorities and drives long-term value on the continent:
- Unify – AQC is inherently pan-African, building deep coordination across borders, institutions, and generations. Through Quantum Roundtables, Happy Hours, and the growing network of Quantum Champions, the priority is clear: Africa rises together.
- Clarify – With the State of Quantum in Africa white paper near release, AQC is documenting the foundation for shared language, standards, and strategic direction. This clarity is essential to align priorities and avoid duplicated efforts across the continent.
- Influence – From the International Year of Quantum Science at UNESCO to World Quantum Day partnerships, the consortium ensures Africa has a seat at the global table to shape research, policy, and funding priorities that reflect African contexts.
- Fund – Vision requires resources. AQC is actively securing capital to invest in education, research, infrastructure, and innovation. Programs like the Quantum Drive for Africa and AQC Academy are already in motion for long-term talent development.
“AQC’s mission is clear and personal to me. We are moving beyond the phase of just demonstrating potential,” said Dr. Taha Rouabah, PI, Startup & Research. “As co-convenor, my focus is on execution: building the robust research collaborations and commercialization pathways needed for a self-sustaining quantum economy. AQC is the mechanism by which we transform Africa’s formidable intellectual capital into enduring economic value.”
AQC in Action
This past year has been about laying the foundation. While there are plenty of places where the global conversation around quantum remains theoretical or exploratory, AQC has focused on execution by building durable systems and programs that can grow with time. The consortium is now formally registered in South Africa, providing legal and operational stability that many pan-African initiatives struggle to secure. That structure has enabled the team to move quickly: convening two high-engagement Quantum Roundtables with over a hundred participants, each representing a different piece of the ecosystem from university labs to government ministries to diaspora-led startups. The sustained turnout from these sessions, with more than 80% returning each time, speaks to a growing sense of shared purpose.
Alongside these efforts, AQC is finalizing the first State of Quantum in Africa white paper, a collaborative document designed to assess where the continent stands and where it can go. Drafted with input from institutions, educators, entrepreneurs, and policymakers across Africa, it outlines gaps, priorities, and a ten-year roadmap anchored by the principle that quantum must serve Africa’s sovereign development, not just global R&D cycles.
Talent development remains central. The Quantum Circle, launched internally this year, is creating a new community of support and visibility for women and girls in quantum across the continent. Spearheaded by Dorcas Attuabea Addo and Temitope Adeniyi, the initiative is already hosting mentorships, spotlighting regional leaders, and working to make sure that as the field grows, it does so with equity.
“When I mentor a young girl in STEM, I’m not just teaching her to code,” said Temitope Adeniyi, STEM, Innovator and Leader at AQC. “I’m showing her that her mind can shape the future. But that promise needs a path to reality. AQC is that path. It builds the continental framework—the networks, the research opportunities, the policy influence—that ensures her talent will be recognized and retained here, in Africa. It’s our commitment to ensure her brilliance shines at home.”
The team has also made significant progress toward launching the Africa Quantum Fund, an effort to support startups and create real pipelines from talent to market. Conversations are already underway with early-stage companies and aligned investors in Europe and Africa.
“As an investor operating across Europe and Africa, I look for one thing: scalable ecosystems with world-class talent,” said Youssouf Traore, Investor & Business at AQC. “The talent has always been in Africa; the scalable ecosystem has not. To turn this raw potential into scalable companies, structured pathways are essential, and the AQC is that pathway.
What Comes Next
The Africa Quantum Consortium is now formally operational as a legally registered nonprofit based in South Africa. As the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology continues, this step gives AQC the legal and structural footing needed to coordinate work across borders, secure funding, and build long-term programs.
AQC will continue rolling out its vision through sustained initiatives and public updates, with key programs such as the Quantum Circle, the Africa Quantum Fund, and the upcoming State of Quantum in Africa white paper. These efforts form part of a broader 1-, 3-, and 5-year strategy to build a full-stack ecosystem for quantum innovation on the continent.
Through partnerships across diplomacy, research, and industry, AQC is focusing on the levers of infrastructure, talent development, gender equity, and policy frameworks rooted in African priorities. With legal sovereignty secured, Africa’s quantum future has the potential to be shaped on its own terms.
“The Africa Quantum Consortium is not just timely—it is necessary,” said Prof. Ahmadou Wagué, President of the African Physical Society and AQC Advisor. “On behalf of the African Physical Societies, I say this clearly: we stand with you. We helped champion the International Year of Quantum Science at UNESCO because Africa must shape the future, not watch it. AQC is now a legal force, and we will work shoulder to shoulder to make quantum Africa’s moment—not a borrowed story, but our own.”
About Africa Quantum Consortium (AQC)
The Africa Quantum Consortium is a neutral, pan-African platform designed to coordinate quantum research, education, innovation, and policy across the continent. AQC unites Africa’s brightest minds, most strategic institutions, and boldest ideas to drive the continent’s participation and leadership in the quantum era. Learn more at africaquantum.org.
