Google today announced it is opening its first-ever AI research centre in Africa. The internet giant aims to gather machine learning researchers and engineers in Accra, the capital of Ghana, to facilitate local AI development.

Over the past ten years Google has established a number of offices in Africa. The company has already helped some two million Africans with its digital skills training program, and aims to increase that number to 10 million in order to advance the continent’s digital transformation. Google is also supporting some 100,000 developers and more than 60 tech startups through its Launchpad Accelerator Africa.

The new Accra research centre will open later this year to meet the increasing interest in machine learning research across Africa. Google says it will collaborate with local research organizations, universities and policy makers to deploy AI to solve challenges in healthcare, agriculture, educations and other areas.