Just weeks after bringing its cheaper AI Plus plan to 40 countries, Google is at it again, this time expanding the rollout to 36 more regions. That brings the grand total to 77 countries where the plan is now officially available.
And for Africa, this is huge. Joining the first wave of 20 African countries like Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and Egypt, the new rollout now ropes in South Africa, Algeria, Botswana, Gabon, Mauritius, and Namibia. It’s a significant milestone that finally places much of the continent under Google’s latest AI offering, one that promises more accessibility and affordability for users who can’t justify the AI Pro price tag.
So what’s the fuss about Google AI Plus?
Think of AI Plus as Google’s “budget-friendly” version of its AI subscription lineup, the smart middle ground between free Gemini access and the pricey AI Pro tier. For starters, subscribers get access to Gemini 2.5 Pro and Deep Research in the Gemini app, with a generous 128K token context window, meaning it can handle longer chats, documents, or code.
The plan also stretches across Google Workspace, unlocking Gemini features in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Meet, Chat, and even Vids. For notebook lovers, NotebookLM gets supercharged with:
- More notebooks and sources per project
- Audio overviews and tone customization
- Better sharing and notebook analytics
On the creative side, users can play with Flow, Google’s AI video filmmaking tool, and Whisk for image creation, plus get 200 monthly AI credits to spend. The cherry on top? 200GB of Google Drive, Gmail, and Photos storage, and a 50% discount for the first six months for eligible users.
Africa’s catching up, but still playing catch-up
While it’s refreshing to see more African countries make the cut this round, there’s still a bit of a bitter aftertaste. Just months ago, Google’s rollout of its AI “vibe-coding” platform, Opal, to 15 new markets completely skipped Africa. That move raises eyebrows, especially given that Opal allows anyone to create full web apps just by describing what they want in plain language. With markets like India, Japan, and Brazil already exploring this “build by talking” experience, Africa remains on the sidelines.
So yes, while AI Plus is a win for accessibility, it’s hard not to notice the uneven rollout of Google’s broader AI strategy. Still, there’s hope. Google has offered university students in six African countries, including Kenya, 12 months of free AI Pro access, giving young learners a head start in experimenting with the full potential of Gemini’s capabilities.
That’s a promising move, but if Google truly wants to democratize AI, then it needs to do more than just dip its toes into the African market.
