In a bold move to accelerate Africa’s AI driven future, Google has announced it will offer university students across the continent free, 12-month premium subscriptions to Google AI Pro, powered by its cutting-edge Gemini 2.5 Pro platform.
The initiative, available from October 7 to December 9, 2025, will cover students in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
It promises unlimited access to Google’s advanced AI tools, designed to supercharge research, learning, and creativity.
We are seeing a new wave of innovation in Africa, driven by the energy and ingenuity of our young people,” said Alex Okosi, Google’s Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa. “By providing students with access to our most advanced AI tools, we want to empower them to not only excel in their studies but also to become critical builders and shapers of the future.”
The program reflects Google’s long-term vision to equip African students with foundational AI skills, preparing them for a workforce increasingly defined by artificial intelligence.
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Typically priced at ₦28,500 ($19.39) per month, the AI Pro subscription unlocks a suite of premium features such as advanced research and summarization for academic papers, automated report generation from web sources, intelligent code debugging for computer science students, access to NotebookLM for streamlined note-taking and study organization, Veo 3 for transforming text or images into presentations, and 2 TB of cloud storage integrated across Google Drive, Gmail, and Photos.
This offer, experts say, could help bridge the resource gap that often limits African students in high-tech fields.
Students need a Google account and must verify their academic status by submitting a valid student ID with expiration date, class schedule, and tuition receipt.
Verification will be handled by SheerID, a trusted digital identity platform, and typically takes just minutes. While students must add a payment method to activate the subscription, no charges will be applied during the promotional period.
Google’s student-focused initiative builds on its longstanding investments in Africa’s tech ecosystem, from the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa, which has supported more than 140 startups across 17 countries, to the Digital Skills for Africa program, which has trained millions across the continent.
“This offer is about democratizing access to technology and giving African students the skills to compete and lead on a global stage,” Okosi added.
Analysts say the program could be a pivotal step toward closing the skills gap and boosting Africa’s presence in the global AI economy.
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For those looking to tap into the continent’s innovation energy, Lagos will host Moonshot by TechCabal on October 15–16, bringing together top founders, creatives, and tech leaders for two days of insights, keynotes, and networking.
